


The Memory of Hope

by Superdrama11



Category: Dangan Ronpa, Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: F/M, Self-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-28
Updated: 2016-08-07
Packaged: 2018-07-10 18:04:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 36,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6998866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Superdrama11/pseuds/Superdrama11
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A man with the perfect memory is reincarnated into the body of Nagito Komaeda. He tries to live a normal life, but the luck cycle ends up effecting him heavily. It gets worse once he gets accepted into Hope Academy and ends up at Dangan Island. Can he prevent the death that haunted his nightmare. And little does he know that the story is much more different then he imagined.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lucky in Life

**Author's Note:**

> Danganronpan is my newest fandom, and I wanted to make a fanfic on it. I always had a soft spot for self-inserts fic, especially the good ones, and wanted to mark my hand writing my own for DanganRonpan

**The Memory of Hope**

* * *

 

**Lucky in Life**

* * *

 

Honestly I wonder about my life sometimes.

Who did I sinned to deserve what had happened to me?

What was so terrible that it ended with me on the tail end of a revolver? I remember every single detail about it, and I don't think I did anything bad enough to warrant what happened to me.

I will never know.

Honestly, my life was normal. I had a family that I cared for, friends that I could count on, a decent paying job, a decent future…Everything that a normal guy could want. Sure my love life wasn't anything to write home about, but I blame that on my naturally introverted attitude.

It may sound boring, but honestly speaking, when you look through the eyes of various fictional characters, you can see that while they may have achieved a lot, they have also suffered a lot.

I have a perfect memory. I am capable of recalling any details that I have ever come upon in my life. It made some subjects in school easier, but others...let's just say I really hated English class.

I can do without any excitement in my life…which is why I still don't get how it came to this.

It started out like any other day. I woke up, I ate my breakfast, I suited up, and I went for my job.

I saw that I was low on cash and decided to go to the bank.

And it just so happened to be the day where a gang of drug-addled addicts decided to rob a bank.

Oh no: It couldn't have just been that. They also have to be carrying a gun. If it was a regular robbery I could have just shut my mouth and played along.

And when I was grasping my wallet, the robbers freaked and shot at me.

I died with a bullet struck between my forehead. God do I hate life sometimes. I remembered every detail, the panic stricken expression on everybody's face, the feeling of loosing my breath as the last of my life was taken from me.

It could have ended there like it was supposed to…I wasn't that lucky.

* * *

 

If I had to describe the next moments of my life, I would best say…surreal. I felt like floating on a cloud and I can't get off.

Is this what the afterlife was like? To be permanently trapped in a dream-like state? In all honesty it could have been worse. Still would have liked to actually have seen if heaven existed or not though.

It was only later that I realized that my body has just been fertilized.

I spent the next ninth month feeling myself develop. It wasn't that bad in all honesty, to be honest; my mind was in a dream-like state, complete bliss.

Which was good. I doubt my mind could comprehend the feeling of my infant form being developed, molecule by molecule.

But exactly who am I being born as? According to fanfics, I could either be reincarnated as the relative of a character, or as the character themselves. I can't tell which would be preferable.

Am I over thinking this? Maybe I'm just going to be reincarnated as some average Joe. I can certainly just relive my life.

Sure it may be a pain not to scream the answer in elementary school, but I'm sure I can survive.

I really shouldn't have tested faith's patience.

* * *

 

More then once in my life, I curse my photographic memory.

I learned that it wasn't always a blessing the day I saw my father gave my grandmother a bath. Dear god, the scars will never be healed.

Ever since then my eyes have caught sight that I really wish I could just erase from my memory, but as stated before, that is difficult for me to do.

Why am I bringing this up now? Because I am feeling the miracle of birth

And it fucking hurts!

Imagine being your body being squeezed through a small tube. That is the most accurate description I can give on being birthed.

I could tears on my eyes as the gloved hands of whom I presume to be the doctor help pull me out of my holding area. I was practically bawling my eyes out. Hey don't judge me! This really is painful!

My barely developed eyes could only make out the bright light of the room and the various sterile colors such as green and/or white.

"Got a pair of lungs this one." Someone casually commented.

"It's proof that he's healthy." Another chimed in with their response. "A lot of energy to boot!" He added, noting my rapidly waving arm.

Hey I'm under a lot of stress right now!

"So what will his name be?" The doctor finally asked after I calmed down somewhat. "Considering your wife passed out, I doubt she can answer."

The third voice, which had a joking nature to its timbre, decided to answer. "Nagito. That's the name we decided."

"So Nagito Komaeda?" The doctor repeated. "That's a nice name."

And with that my tears stop, because I recognized that name almost immediately. And never before did a wave of terror hit my body as it did hearing that name.

It doesn't even come close to the terror of dying the first time around.

Dangan Ronpan…this was the world I've been reincarnated into. Flashes of a certain character's line flashes though my head.

_"Do you understand? Hope is a positive force... Everything created by it is an absolute good"_

_"All of you posses the qualities needed to be able to embody it... Do you understand? Hope, in other words, is a proactive will and talent... It's an absolute "good" that's brought forth by that! That's why, as long as there exist seeds of hope, I'll gladly kill a person... and gladly die myself. Since right now, my reason for living like this is hope itself!"_

_"There are two kinds of people in this world: those who are born with worth, and ever body else. No matter how hard a lowly human tries, they will never be the same as someone who was born worthy... They say that "effort breeds success"...But that's a complete lie. The world is not that accommodating."_

_"The deeper and darker the despair...the brighter and powerful the hope born from it."_

Oh no…oh no…oh no no no no no! Why the hell did I get reincarnated as this fucking psycho?

The full horror finally came rushing to me and I started to scream again.

The adults dismissed me as being a baby, but I didn't care. Things were going to get fucked up.

Why did I have to be reincarnated into a world where it is literally going to end!?

Curse my luck…oh god damn it. I was starting.

* * *

 

> I picked Nagito because I thought it would be interesting. Hope you like it all and read and review. My insert usually doesn't curse often, but the situation is really taking a toll on his psyche.
> 
> Especially when it's Nagito whose body he took.
> 
> Sidenote: No he won't get diagnosed with dementia. He will get enough stress in his life as it will soon be.
> 
> This chapter is short; it primarily serves as a prologue of sorts. The future chapters will be harder to write, but I think I can do it.
> 
> Let's read as the SI tries to help save everyone on the island, as he can't prevent absolute despair. And watch him deal with the very luck that drove his predecessor to madness.
> 
> But he isn't alone. And he learns things are much more different then he expected.
> 
> PS: Shipping? Wait and see.

 


	2. Growing Pains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Growing up and restarting his development from baby to child.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello beautiful people! I have this fic on both my fanfiction account and my newly minted Archiveofourown account. Nagito's parents name as well as his dog was made up on the spot.

**The Memory of Hope**

* * *

**Growing Pains**

* * *

The moment that Hisao Komaeda brought his son home, was the day that he learned that there was something… _off_ about the boy.

While he was aware each child is different, his son was apparently a bit too different for his liking.

The only time he had ever truly cried was when he was born. After that day though, he merely kept a quiet disposition. Only making any sound whenever he was hungry. Other then that, he kept to himself by sleeping most of his early months away.

Rika was relieved. She knew all too well the sheer amount of trouble a newborn can cause, and Nagito himself was perfectly healthy in terms of health.

But Hisao couldn't help but wish his son cry a little bit more to alleviate his worries somewhat.

* * *

When you have the body of a newly birthed baby, unsurprisingly, the limits of what can you do is high. He had to sleep most of my first couple of months away because it was nightmare connecting my adult mind with my infant body. The headaches he had were so big that it took a full year before he recovered. It was also then that his muscles developed enough for him to move anywhere he wanted.

* * *

Compared to most ten-month old who still rely on their parents to move them, Nagito immediately started crawling at the earliest possible age. It was a contrast to his lethargic days as he suddenly was injected with a large amount of energy.

His wife Rika found it adorable, he found it just a little bit unsettling.

* * *

When he realized his headache was gone, and his muscles were developed enough to allow his arms to move his body, he felt like crying. But he persisted and started to practice. Having spent nine months unable to move is a nightmare on the human psyche. Crawling to every single direction he could was almost euphoric to his infantile body.

Though his new father was giving him a strange look, his mother was delighted by his rapid progress.

(On a side-note, it turns out Nagito's real hair color is black)

* * *

"Look Hisao!" Rika stated with an ecstatic expression as she motioned her husband to their son. "Listen to Nagito!"

Hisao looked down at the infant in the crib. The infant waved his stubby hand at him and gurgled. "To! Ka!" After that, the infant started to gurgle various noises that sound a lot like words.

The father raised an eyebrow. "He's…starting to talk?"

Rika clapped her hand. "I know! I was worried about him when he practically said nothing in the beginning, but he's already learning!"

It was strange. While a baby his age was bound to pick up a few words, they shouldn't be as…coherent as Nagito was sprouting.

Something told Hisao that if Nagito had his proper teeth now, he could carry a full conversation with the child.

He shook his head. Nagito was simply an early bloomer. Nothing more, nothing less.

* * *

It was a bit disconcerting, knowing you the words but lacking the ability to articulate them. The moment his teeth started to grow, he gabbered and jibbered away, determined to create words.

He succeeded, but barely enough to form any coherent sentences. But that didn't stop him. He was determined to carry a conversation with these people…no, his parents.

Nagito didn't mention much about his parents, only that they were destined to die on a hijacking incident.

He doesn't know when it will happen…but the fear of when these perfectly caring people will leave him will be with him for the rest of his childhood.

* * *

"Good job Nagito!" Hisao cheered as the child slowly but surely made his way down the stairs.

The Komaeda family was quite wealthy due to their long heritage in history. His job as a criminal lawyer and his wife as a doctor certainly aided matter. As such, their home was quite large. Though right now the only family members living here was him, his wife, and his son.

Them and a few couple of servants who cooked and generally kept up the household. Now they added babysitters to their long list of duties.

In any case, Nagito has graduated from crawling to walking, and the boy aimed to walk every single area he could reach.

Not to mention, he had become more coherent with his words, and it was easy to identify the boy's meaning. Not bad for an eighteen month old.

His wife stated that their son was advanced for his age. It was rare, but it was possible.

He can't help but wonder that's just her not wanting to admit her son is not…normal.

Nagito it seems certainly acts like a young adult earlier then expected. Not just intelligence, but there is a certain maturity in his eyes that Hisao just can't place.

* * *

But at least now he can walk.

His mother was happy that he wasn't a particularly problematic child. His father on the other hand seems a little bothered that he wasn't.

But he was just a lawyer. Reincarnation will never come to his mind simply because the very idea of it would be ludicrous.

Unless this was Ace Attorney, but he knew that he just wasn't that lucky. No, he got into the world with the psychotic fashionista disguised as a monochromatic teddy bear that ended the world.

* * *

Rika smiled at the sight of seeing her son go through all the picture books she bought recently. As well as him painting his own name on a pastel.

She was well aware that her husband is a little wary of Nagito's early development. Honestly speaking, she herself was a little bothered by it.

These types of children who mature quickly in the world are in a very small handful. They are the kids who often grow up to be a prodigy. The fact that he was already learning how to read was proof of that.

She sincerely hoped Nagito doesn't isolate himself from other children. Prodigies have a tendency to do that.

As long as he grew up to be a good boy, Rika was content on seeing her son's rapid progress.

* * *

Alright, time to learn how to read and write again

He memorized Japanese in his past life.

As an anime fan with the ability to learn, it seemed like the right thing to do. Even with the perfect memory, it was a giant pain in the ass. He blessed anybody who didn't have cheat code but still learn the damn language.

He also learned how to write in Japanese now. It was a pain, but one step at a time he learned.

But now his new mother was giving him a worried glance. Even she was starting to see that her son was not of the right mind.

He didn't mind. Let them draw their own conclusion. They were decent enough people to accept him nonetheless.

Besides…it's not like they will be long for this world…he immediately ended that train of thought before it could collapse on him.

He was horrible for feeling the apathy of their potential death. But what can a young baby boy do?

He resolved to wait. His memory told him it was a hijack on a plane from the Galapagos.

Yeah…maybe if he played along…they would be able to survive. He didn't want to lose the people who gave him life in the new world.

Even if the life in question is cursed.

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Hisao asked his wife with a tired expression as the two drove him in his car. She was currently carrying a shaking box.

Rika humped. "You know we can't conceive another child. And I thought Nagito might be lonely in that big house with only the servants for company."

"But…a dog…?"

"If he doesn't like it, we can just return it." Rika pointed out.

"I guess that's fair." But Hisao got the feeling that Nagito doesn't particularly mind his loneliness. In fact he takes it disturbingly well. According to his caretakers, Nagito spends most of his time reading, writing, and generally trying to learn.

He could understand if the boy was simply an introvert, but Nagito just seems apathetic to the lack of appearance of his parents.

Maybe this dog can properly show just how much empathy Nagito had.

The way Nagito acted sometime was like how a child _should_ act, but never how he really feels. It was like he was preparing for the right reaction.

Hisao didn't want to think the worst of his own son, but a criminal lawyer like himself dealt with his fair shares of sociopath.

High intelligence and chronic isolation during childhood is often a bad sign. And it would explain Nagito's sometimes rehearsed reaction to things…

He shook his head to rid himself of the negative thought. Nagito simply could be a child with a disorder. He may not be normal, but it's not like he's a criminal.

At least that is what he hopes.

* * *

Nagito Komaeda was now five years old and his parent gave him a puppy.

The dark-haired boy merely smiled and patted the dog on the head. Most kids his age would usually react in awe or go back in fear.

But not Nagito.

He didn't care much for animals. His slight laziness and his neat-freak tendencies in his past life made pets a low desire for a guy like him.

And this dog was going to die.

He could've whined, cried, or begged his parents to take the dog away. But he decided to slap a collar on him and name it Shiro.

Why?

Maybe he wanted companionship, someone he could talk to without risk of sounding like a loon.

Or maybe he truly wanted to see just how the unnatural luck of his new body will play out.

But all in all, he just couldn't bring it in himself to spare this dog's life. It was as if an unnatural feeling took control of his body and forced him to wait.

And that terrified him most of all.

* * *

The incident happened on a Friday night.

Hisao Komaeda practically rushed out of the court room the moment he learned that his son got caught in a speeding truck incident.

The streets were alight with sirens and the works. A pair of paramedics were surrounding a surprisingly calm Nagito, and the lawyer went up to the nearest one.

"Is Nagito alright?" Hisao practically demanded keeping a close eye on his son.

The paramedics nodded. "The boy sustained no visible injuries, however the dog he was with ended up dying in the process."

The father was relieved to hear his son had survived. But the dog dying was not something he foreseen.

That explained the bloody remains of the animal he saw earlier. Though he was unsettled by the way Nagito's eyes just remained on the dog.

* * *

Nagito knew he should've stopped his pace the moment he saw a truck.

If he was still who he used to be, he would've stopped immediately with Shiro's leash in his hand.

But his mind and body were separate as he kept on running.

Everybody screamed at the sight of the boy and his dog being in the way of a speeding truck.

Said truck immediately tried to break, but it was too late. Some people turned away at the sight of seeing a potential child victim.

When the truck came though, the dog let out a howl and pushed him out of the way. He was bruised and battered by the large strike, but he survived.

Shiro of course, didn't make it and the dog whimpered as the upcoming truck completed its impact.

Someone called the police. Someone called the ambulance. Someone went to him to try to apply some basic first aid…

But all Nagito could think about was how his body stopped listening to his mind and forced him to keep on going.

Was that it? Was he cursed to live out the tragedy that had damaged Nagito's already fragile psyche? Did that mean his parents will…?

Nagito vow to keep the memory of Shiro alive. He only had him for two months, but those two month are more then enough for someone with his perfect memory. He knew the dog deserved a long life. Not a short one with a curse man like him.

He sincerely hopes that he wouldn't have to do the same thing in regards to Hisao and Rika.

They deserve better then whatever fate his luck can come up with.

* * *

"Wow!" Nagito shouted in awe.

It was a rare vacation day for both Hisao and Rika. Nagito didn't particularly mind that his parents don't spend too much time with him. They are the reason that money keeps flowing into the household. Plus it made being around them less awkward.

Nagito half-expected to see it be a copy of Nezumi castle, but he figured that would just be an infringement on Disney land.

Besides, they didn't live anywhere near Tokyo.

Not to say that this park was bad, because it wasn't. It has all the essentials. Stalls with people selling highly fatty food. The tall Ferris wheels. Confusing fun houses (He suppressed that twinge of fear). And of course…

"KYAAAHHH!"

Twisting and turning rollercoaster with all the infamous loop de loops.

He heard the screams of the people on the ride and gulped.

Even in his past life, he always hated roller coasters, and paled at the idea of even thinking about being in one. He grabbed his father's hand and squeezed tightly.

He got a surprised glance for his actions, but most of him was focused on: Do not go on the screaming metal death-trip.

* * *

Hisao really shouldn't be relieved by the fact that his son was acting like a child his age. But after so long, he couldn't help but wonder. Especially after the boy's somewhat apathetic reaction to Shiro's death.

It affected him, that Hisao could believe, but how cold he was during it just worried him a bit.

In any case, his wife suggested going to an amusement park since they had a rare vacation day. Nagito seemed to like the idea, so he decided to go along with it.

It was a regular day at the park, with a fair amount of children and others generally having fun at the amusement park.

On the way to the park, a man in the park uniform walked up and stated that they will get a lottery ticket.

"What is this lotto supposed to mean?" Hisao asked the obvious question.

The salesman shrugged. "It's a raffle we're doing. Anybody who wins will end up getting a free consoles. The latest in the industry. It's popular with the kids."

"I like to try!" Nagito stated with a cheer. Really this shouldn't be the first time he saw Nagito smile right? Surely this was not the first time since his son's birth.

"Well why not?" Hisao admitted. Rich or not, free is still free.

* * *

A merry-go-round…it was a long time since he ever actually went on one. His parents never really cared for amusement parks. His own dislike of roller coasters just added to the reasons not to go.

"Want to go Nagito?" His mother stated with a small smile.

Why not? For nostalgia's sake, it would be a nice thing to do. Especially once he gotten too old for it.

It was fine at first. The classical music playing in the background, the horses going up and down, the other normal kids were playing around. Overall…it was a good time.

Too bad it had to end soon.

The operator turned to the controls and raised an eyebrow. For some reason, they were blinking erratically. As he worked to check it out, the controls sparked.

The merry-go-round jerked to a halt causing everyone to move. Some kids at most hit their head against the moving pole. Except for one.

Nagito completely slipped off his. The reason for that seems to do something with the fact that his seat belt utterly broke.

As Nagito fell off the fake horse, he can't help but wonder. 'Is this the curse of my luck?'

* * *

"Nagito!" Rika yelled in alarm as she quickly ran up to her son. The boy was moaning in pain, but was mostly stone-faced as he gripped his left arm. Rika took down his sleeves and paled.

"He fractured his arm!" The doctor called out as some employees came up with medical supply.

"Are you alright Nagito?"

"I'll survive…" The boy groaned. "I'm just grateful it's not my writing hand."

Hisao gave the operator a deadpan glare. The man was sweating heavily at the sight of the angered man.

"How?" Was all he asked. That's all he needed to say.

"I-I don't know s-sir!" The operator managed to stumble out. "The ride was working fine! T-the moment the k-kid came on the controls started to get wonky! We didn't know his belt would break"

"That kid is my son." Hisao pointed out. "And I am a lawyer." This wasn't his field of specialization, but it still pays to intimidate people.

"We're very sorry, sir!" The operator bowed.

"Just be grateful he didn't experience any permanent injury." Was Hisao's final statement.

It was strange though. When the ride broke, why did it happen to Nagito's particular horse? And out of all the kids, why did Nagito's belt broke?

All he could call it was a string of bad luck.

* * *

"Congrats kid! You are our lucky guesser! You win the prize of your choosing." The head stated in a cheerful voice. It was an hour after the merry-go-round incident, and the couple decided it was an unexpected accident.

They decided to stay to see the results of the raffle. And surprise, the winner was Nagito Komaeda.

When Nagito started to laugh, Rika and spectator laugh thought it was one of joy.

But Hisao caught the tiredness in it. Like the sense of inevitability a criminal feels when they are given the death penalty.

* * *

"So how is Nagito in school?" Rika asked the question to her son's teacher. An elderly women.

The geriatric cleaned her glasses and sighed. "As a student? He's on top of his class. As a kid? He's distant from the rest of his classes"

Rika sighed. "I was afraid of that." Though she certainly saw it coming.

"That's a problem intelligent children have." The teacher admitted. "They have a hard time seeing the kids with them as their equals, and thus they become the loner and barely interact with them."

* * *

"We're going on a vacation!" Rika cheered. "A two way tickets straight to the Galapagos islands!"

When Nagito felt a complete and utter sense of dread, he hastily opened his mouth, but his eyes started to darken.

Nagito felt himself lose to the darkness. He wanted to shriek. He wanted to scream. He wanted to beg his new parents to not go on that cursed vacation. But like when Shiro died, the feeling of darkness overcame his body and forced his body not to listen to his mind.

His vision blacked out and he felt like sobbing.

* * *

"That was a fun vacation!" Rika cheered, cradling a sleeping Nagito. The boy had his hood over his head and had a small bandage around his face.

Hisao smirked. "I suppose. Doesn't beat our honeymoon though..."

"Hisao!" Rika scolded with flushed cheeks. "I don't want Nagito to hear this in his sleep!"

"Fine, fine…" He stated dismissively. "I'm just surprised Nagito went out. He's usually stuck inside most of the time."

Rika shrugged. "It pays to go outside…though I didn't realize he was allergic to lobster."

Hisao shuddered. "And he was having such a good day too. I didn't think it was possible for someone to swell that much."

"Trust me dear, there are people who have it much worse."

Before the husband could retort, the couple heard a disquieting sound.

BOOM!

* * *

Nagito's eyes opened up at the sound of the gun and his small body jumped up in fear. He turned to see his parents talking to a masked man.

"You got the fattest pockets?" The hijacker asked while cocking his gun.

Hisao sweated, but nodded as an answer. "I'll give you every piece of money I have if you let us leave here alive."

"Not just you…" The criminal growled. He started to bark out orders. "LISTEN UP! I HAVE THIS BAG! NOW PUT EVERY SINGLE CENT YOU GOT INTO THIS BAG LEST I SHOOT YOUR FUCKING BRAINS OUT!"

The stewards, the other passengers, even the nearby pilots hastily removed their wallets from their possession and took out ever piece of cash they got. Before they could go, a strange sound was heard.

**CRUSH!**

The hijacker, Hisao and Rika all turned their heads toward the roof of the plane. It was glowing a unique color as the roof almost looks like it was melting…

...

...

...

**CRASH!**

Nagito could only scream at the sight of the meteor crashing into the roof and into the three unfortunate souls.

This was a sight that will forever be indented into his memory for the rest of his life, even if his wasn't as good as it was.

Nagito was deaf to the voice of the people surrounding him calling to get help. He slowly but surely went to the three victims. Two: The hijacker and his mother were dead. His father was struggling, but the blood (Which was red instead of pink) flowing freely out of his body was proof that he was not long for the world.

The reincarnated boy got up and cradled his father's arm in his hand, numb to the pain of losing his parents again.

His eyes met Hisao Komaeda and the two, father and son, stared at each other.

* * *

Hisao saw his son's eyes as the boy grasped his arm. He could practically feel Rika's skin fading alongside her life.

"I'm so sorry…You didn't deserve this…" His son said in a voice that was far too old for his child body. He wasn't crying, but the grief in his eyes was undeniable.

"It's okay…you couldn't have prevented this…" and he completely lost his sight at that moment. If he didn't, he would've caught the immense regret in his son's eyes.

"I love you dad." And something told Hisao that he meant what he said.

"Love you two Nagito…love you too…" Because no matter how suspicious Hisao got, he never once felt any ill will towards his son. No matter how he turned out Hisao knew he would always care for him and vice-versa.

Too bad he will never find out.

When Hisao died, he realized he never found out what happened to his son. Why his son was so coherent since his birth and why he never acted as much as most children did.

Something told him that was irrelevant considering the fact that he was not long for this world.

At least the bastard hijacker is getting his comeuppance. Let's hope he burns in the fiery pits.

But he was happy that his and Rika son still cared for them, no matter how little they knew about him.

He whispered goodbye and lay still. And his final prayer is that Nagito will make it in the world.

* * *

Nagito Komaeda was now an orphan. He will survive on his own with the money his parents left behind. He has no other relatives alive.

He didn't cry at the funeral…

He only cried when he was really happy. When he was sad all he felt was cold apathy. It as something that happened in his old life, now it is here in his new one.

And a taste of despair. Let's not forget that.

If it didn't freak people out Nagito would've laughed. Laughed at his own inaction. Laughed at letting people who were close to him die. Laughed at his own freakish devotion to a script.

He didn't lose hope though. He can't lose it. If he still wants to cling to his sanity…he couldn't lose his hope.

He looked up at the gray sky and wondered…if he was unable to prevent the death of his dog and his parents…can he prevent ultimate despair altogether?

If not, can he prevent Dangan Island in general?

That's a question that won't be answered for a couple of years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a lot of fun writing Hisao's point of view. It's not often you see a parents get suspicious of their reincarnated child. But the fact that the SI doesn't have any malicious intentions prevents him from probing too far…denial also helps a lot.
> 
> Nagito's/SI's inability to warn his parents about their death or prevent his dog from getting into an accident will become major plot points in his life. It will reach his breaking points once he reaches Hope Peak Academy. Explanation? That won't come until much later.
> 
> The anime explaining what happened to the 78th class will air around this July. When it airs, I'll try to rewrite my story in certain areas to mesh with the new info. Until then, it's time to write with what little we know.
> 
> Reviews are the fuel for drive. So I certainly would like some. I think I'm trying to reach at least ten pages per chapter. Next chapter will be called 'Nightmares and Meetings'.


	3. Nightmares And Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting a nightmare of an execution, and then meeting the unlucky victim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like to write while I still have the inspiration to do so. The previous chapter was to show how Nagito/SI got a taste of his luck.
> 
> This one is a bit of a doozy. It details Nagito meeting his future classmates. Please read and review.

**The Memory of Hope**

* * *

**Nightmares and Meetings**

* * *

Nagito opened his eyes, blinking rapidly in disbelief.

'What…what the hell was that?'

Despite his memorization skills, Nagito could scantly remember few of his dreams. He didn't really care enough to bother to remember his dreams. But this one was more vivid then usual. Partially because it resembled a scene he saw before.

"Was…was that…his/her execution?" He asked aloud.

It was two years after the unfortunate demise of his new parents. Nagito Komaeda was now an orphan.

But he didn't lose everything.

His parents only ever used money they made from their jobs. So they had a substantial savings.

The fact that neither of them had any living relatives was just the icing of the cake. Especially when Hisao's sister died in a car crash a year after his birth. He sincerely hopes that wasn't indicative of anything.

The chef and the house-workers became his official guardian, but he was just a ward of the state. His relationship with them was polite, but distant. Probably for the best. He didn't need any more death on his conscious.

So he created a routine. He went to school. He studied. He started a gaming habit. His finances more then allowed for it. He ate. He did all sorts of things to entertain himself. He just couldn't trust himself to go out and make friends. Besides, he can't really open himself to little kids, and adults would get more then a little disturbed and suspicious.

In all honesty, he should be more upset, but he wasn't a kid. He understands the trouble of what is going on. Nagito in the original script was scarred by every thing that happened to him. He vows not to let that happen to him…

Well he can prey? Can't he?

And so that's what his life becomes. He was on top of his class for the most part, his own memory and years of education helping immensely…

(On a side note, he wept at the realization that Japan you had to go to school on Saturdays as well.)

But as it was, his life was normal…well as normal as someone who practically isolated themselves from the world could be.

But then…the nightmares started. They themselves wouldn't be so bad…but they often coincided with a meeting.

* * *

_The beeping of the heart monitor rang throughout the mostly empty hospital room. The only one there was a young, dark-haired girl lying in the bed, covered by a pure white sheet. The general feel of the room can best be described as sterile. The black-haired teen gave an unfeeling expression as the heart monitor continued to beep. The only source of light was the sun shining brightly through the big windows._

_She turned his head to see a very bizarre sight. It was that of a teddy bear, half white and half black, wearing a nurse's outfit and carrying a very large syringe filled to the brim with a green serum._

_The bear ran up to the still apathetic young woman, and it stabbed the syringe near his bed. The four walls completely fell apart in an outward fashion to reveal the room to be on a deserted field._

_The bed rocketed off with the young girl flying off of it. A giant robotic arm takes its place as the young woman landed on its fore area._

_The bear took the syringe and stabbed it straight into the arm. The green liquid slowly but surely traveled into the veins of the giant arm where it's changing coloration from pale to red as proof._

_The teenager's face started to twist at an orgasmic expression at the rapid vibration of the arm being filled. Even when the arm's muscle completely bulged and turned red._

_When the last of the serum entered the arm and the bear removed the needle, the rocket boosters at the end of the arm completely fired from their starting points. The hand clenched into a fist and fired the arm._

_The young woman looked up as he flew through the air on the arm. Only an apathetic look was evident on her face as the rocket arm once again used the last of its fuel to fire itself into space. She closed his eyes and allowed the clouds to surround her as she embraces the oxygen-less sky._

_The teddy bear fell and landed next to a white-haired boy, who looked at the disappearing rocket with an almost sad expression._

* * *

"Aw…does little Mikan have a boo-boo?" A particularly cruel looking girl fake-cooed at a young dark hair girl.

"…It's…fine…" The girl stuttered. She was about seven years old and was clad in a pink blouse and blue skirt. Her face and arms all had a band-aid on them and her hair was choppy as if cut incorrectly. Her blue eyes had a twinge of fear in them. Mostly at the surrounding group of children.

"Look at her…" One of the kids mocked in face-disgust. "Any more band-aids and she might be a mummy!"

"It's an improvement over having to see her face…" A kid sadistically muttered.

Mikan felt tears coming to her eyes. Honestly whoever said words can't hurt clearly never gotten a full on mocking before. Heck, with sticks and stones all she needs are bandages at the very least.

"Can you just draw on me today…" The poor girl practically pleaded. She just got rid of the smell of mud. She didn't need anymore trouble, especially from her demanding aunt…

"Hey! You said it not me…" But before they could do their daily round of writing, a voice called out.

"Oi!" The victim and bullies turned to see a tired looking boy in a green hoodie giving them a deadpan look.

"Do you have anything better to do then to pick on a poor girl?" He asked. "Or is your life really so boring, that is all you have in your life?"

The head girl felt a flush of anger. Who was this random guy interrupting her fun? "What's it to you?"

"I just don't like the idea of seeing a bunch of kids picking on a poor girl."

"You're a kid yourself…"

"Oh nothing…but seriously though…I might have to call your guardians…"

The girl let out a haughty laugh. "Then prove it! Call my parents!"

* * *

The group of disgruntled children all made their way alongside their somewhat peeved parents. Nagito gave them a friendly wave.

Mikan looked up to her savior. He smiled and held out his hand. "Hello there. My name is Nagito Komaeda…and you are?"

"M-Mikan Tsumiki." She stated, her fear of other people acting up.

But if he helped her…surely he couldn't be all that bad…right?

* * *

'Mikan Tsumiki' Nagito thought in his head as he picked the future nurse up. 'Never thought I see you here.'

"You-you didn't have to do that". The girl nervously stammered as she dusted off her skirt. "They might pick on you next…Especially after calling her out just like that…"

Nagito shrugged. "Eh…not my neighborhood. I'm just here until my car is fixed. Just saw someone getting bullied and I decided to help out."

"Who?"

He gave her a deadpan stare. "…You".

Mikan flushed and shriek. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to anger you-".

"Mikan!" He shouted. "Breathe!"

The nervous wreck nodded and took rapid-fire calming breaths. Nagito couldn't help it and smiled in amusement.

'To think this is the girl who ended up killing two people…' He noted, and immediately shook his head. Those were under circumstances far beyond her control. He actually dislikes few characters from the series and Mikan wasn't one of them. Right now she was a normal, if not incredibly nervous, girl.

"So what's with all the bandages?" Nagito asked, knowing perfectly well what the answer was. But it helps to keep conversation.

The nervous girl fingered her wounds and murmured. "I had to learn how to band-aids on myself. An-d that wasn't the first time…someone bullied me…"

"What about your parents?" Nagito couldn't help but ask. It was the logical thing to question. But he was well aware the answer wasn't pretty.

Sure enough, Mikan started to sniffle. "I-I don't have any. They died when I was younger so I live with my aunt…she doesn't like me very much."

"I can sympathize…" Nagito whispered. "My parents ended up dying in an accident about two years back. It's alright I'm over it." He added looking at her startled expression

"Y-you shouldn't be!" Mikan declared. "A lot of people made fun of me…for not having parents."

"Dicks!" He shouted the offense clear in his voice.

"B-bad word!"

Oh right. They were still kids. He can't wait to get to an age where he can swear as much as he wants without too much consequence….essentially, when he becomes a bitter old man.

"They say things like…'Your parents were so bad…'"

"Don't tell me…" Nagito stopped her. "They killed themselves to stay away from you?" Her sniffling was all the confirmation that he needed.

He patted her on the head, and she looks at him in confusion. "I know I can't just say 'Don't listen' and be done with it…but I think you deserve better then your current situation."

A car beeped and two turned to see a white car as the culprit. Nagito whistled and said. "Well there's my ride. Hope you learn to make them ignore you."

"It's better to be bullied then ignore…" Mikan stated with an almost dead look in her eye. Nagito surmised this thought process is what Junko must have used to turn the poor nurse into ultimate despair. He shook his head of the thought.

"No…loneliness may suck…but being in constant pain is not something I would want to deal with in my life". Maybe it applies only to natural loners like him…but it's still something he believes.

Maybe his car breaking down was bad luck…and maybe meeting Mikan was good luck.

Ah well…if all goes well he won't see her for a while.

* * *

_The beautiful sunset of the sky painted a heavenly color on the beach. It illuminated the white sands, the palm trees, the crystal clear water, the boy tied to a post…huh?_

_Standing in the middle of the beach was a young boy tied to a post with chains. He was struggling to escape but the difficulties prove that the chains were ironed. He was pudgy, short, and clad in a chef's outfit._

_From the distance, helicopter came into view, covering the setting sun. On its side was a pair of missile launchers. Inside the helicopter was a familiar monochrome bear. It grinned at the chef-hat boy and pressed a button._

_From the launchers came an array of missiles all heading the trapped teen's way. When the missiles made contact, it was revealed that inside them was not gunpowder, but eggs. The boy was covered in the yellow mess as his eyes were swirling._

_While his head was spinning, the helicopter released a rocket this time. The rocket exploded before it made contact, and instead of smoke, it covered the boy with breadcrumbs._

_But it wasn't the end. The helicopter grabbed the ingredient covered boy with an iron hook and hoisted him into air. It flew a great distance before it arrived at its location… a giant volcano._

_It all ended with the screaming boy being dropped into the crater. A young man looking at the entire twisted scene through a TV._

* * *

"Thank you! Please come again!" The head of the diner stated with a cheerful inflection in her voice. She was a plump woman clad in an apron and a slightly odd face.

"Any time Reiko! We all know this place has the best grub!" The leaving customer stated with a laugh in his voice.

"Another satisfied customer Mama?" A voice in the back called out. This was her pride and joy: Teruteru Hanamura , one of the best cooks of his young generation.

"Like always Teru." Reiko stated with a laugh. "You got the gift."

"Aw…you do all the work Mom!"

"No, no…" Reiko waved it off. "You were the one who kept this place in business. If it was just me, we would be on the tall end of those money grubbing corporation!" Her voice took an angry tone toward the ends.

That was a sore subject for his mother, so Teruteru avoided it. He decided to go back to the kitchen to prepare for any future dishes.

Reiko could only sigh. Her health wasn't the best, she had a pair of young twins, her husband made chicken scratch, and the town wasn't booming enough for business. The fact that her son was such a skilled cook was a complete and utter miracle. It kept away any of those corrupt businessmen and keep food on the table.

The door chimed signaling the exhausted cook to turn her head. She was surprised to see it was a little boy all by himself. Now usually it wasn't that big a deal, but only with children the Hanamura family was familiar with. This one was someone they never met or saw before.

'Now that I think about it…' Reiko hummed to her as the boy looked around. 'He looks to be about the same age as Teruteru.'

"Are you alright little boy?" Reiko asked the child as she walked up to the lone child. "Are your parents not around?"

"Something likes that…" He answered with a shrug. "But I'm here on my own. I was in the neighborhood and I was looking for a quick bite."

Reiko waved her finger. "You shouldn't be here all alone. Your guardians can and will get worried."

"Trust me…" The boy smirked. "I can handle coming to a restaurant all alone." Before Reiko could report, her son called from the diner.

"MAMA!" Teruteru called out. He was short, round, and clad in a miniature chef's outfit. "Do we have a customer?"

"Yes Teru!" Reiko called out her nickname for her son. "He's a boy your age!"

"Really?" and the young cook walked up to the entrance to meet a smiling and waving boy with dark hair.

"I'm Teruteru Hanamura ." The round boys stated with a cheer, new customers were always a delight. "And you are?"

The dark-haired boy smiled. "Nagito Komaeda. Nice to meet you!"

"So what can I get for you?" He immediately asked, on point as usual.

"Just give me whatever is the signature." Nagito answered. "I'll take anything as long as it tastes good!"

Teruteru clapped his knives together. "Alrighty then! One summer special…coming up!"

The moment that Reiko saw the amount of money that Nagito possessed, she can suddenly believe just why he doesn't have that much supervision.

It's not everyday a rich boy comes to eat your restaurant.

Nagito looked down at his meal, he sniffs the sauce and the meat, savoring the smell, and he proceeded to taste it.

Reiko could only smirk at the way his eyes lighted. A first-timer tends to do that.

* * *

His mouth exploded. It was as if there was a symphony of flavors playing inside his mouth.

'I guess since he didn't hit puberty yet, he isn't a pervert yet.' Nagito theorized about Teruteru as he continued to eat his dinner. He has to admit, the characters from the original game weren't lying when they said it was the best they had.

Also, he never really disliked Teruteru. Sure he was an incorrigible pervert, but he was entertaining enough. His surprisingly sudden status as a blackened raised some sympathy as well.

He decided to break the ice. "So where did you learn to cook?"

Teruteru rubbed the back of his head and chuckled. "Well my mama taught me everything she knows. Plus we have a collection of cookbooks. Plus I always did have a good sense of taste and smell."

Nagito let out a laugh. "All the best chefs do!"

"Really…?" Teruteru stated with a hopeful look in his eye. "Do you really think I have what it takes to be one of the best?"

The lucky child merely gave a small smile. "Well why not? The food you cook is delicious…isn't that a nice start."

"But I'm just a country boy…" The future Ultimate Cook shamefully admitted. "Those guys at the big city will never want someone like me."

"Don't be so hard on yourself." Nagito smirked as he patted his future classmate on the back. "If you have what it takes, then you have what it takes. It is that simple."

Teruteru smiled. It wasn't the first time he was motivated by someone to take his skills to the top. Although it usually only applies to his mother. But having another person telling him to follow his dream certainly is nice.

The two heard a whistling noise, with Reiko calling out "I GOT IT!"

"HEY BIG BROTHER!" And a pair of children, both blonde, accidentally ran into their mother.

"WAIT KIDS DON'T-!" But alas…it was too late. The pot the poor woman was carrying flew and landed on one very unlucky child.

Nagito could only sigh as he brushed the burning pot off his hands. Guess this was the payoff for eating such delicious food. Well it could be worse. This was the second classmate he met after Mikan.

He licks the sauce stuck on his hand…hmm? He tasted delicious.

* * *

_She was trapped on a lone island…no a seamount. But she wasn't alone. Se was surrounded by a sea of robots, all clad in samurai robes and carrying a flag with a unique symbol embroidered on it. The girl had silver hair, red eyes, and square glasses._

_The teddy bear was now a giant as it looked at the apathetic girl. The girl was carrying a katana in her hand. The bear held a strange device in its paws. It was a life-sized straw marionette. On the picture of the marionette was the girl herself._

_The bear did an experimental tug on the puppet, and the girl's hand jerked to the right. Her katana shined as it beamed in the bright sunlight. The bear let out a chuckle and pushed the puppet forward, sword stretched out._

_The sword easily destroyed the robotic samurai in front of him. The bear started jerking the puppet, and in turns the girl, all over the place._

_On looking the entire thing was a boy with shaved blonde hair and in a suit looking at the scene through the sea of robots._

_All while the girl was busy fighting, the boy tried to reach her, going through each robot who ignored him in favor of the girl. However, things took a turn for the worse as he stood behind one faithful robot._

_The girl sliced...only to realize she has slain the boy alongside the robot. His entire right half getting cut._

_The silver-haired girl look down sadly at the boy whose life she ended, as she hugged him tightly to her chest, not noticing, or perhaps not caring, the robots preparing their blades._

_The last thing she felt was the blades of the remaining robots cutting into her body, the platform being flooded with her blood and the boy she was holding. It all ended when one fortunate robot ended up chopping their head off._

_A white-haired boy looked at the scene with something akin to horrific fascination._

* * *

"Young master!" A young girl about eight years old clad in a grey uniform and glasses called out. Her hair was silver, her eyes were red, and most prominently there was a shinai around her back. "Where are you?"

The girl was shouting over the noise generated by the people of the zoo and the animals concealed. As with most days, the zoo was crowded with children dragging their parents along, amateur photographers practicing on animals, and the beleaguered zookeeper trying to keep order.

"Over here Peko!" A young voice called out. It came from inside the building named the prime ape hall.

The girl, Peko, charged into the building to see a young boy with shaved blonde hair and a youthful face looking at some monkeys. He pouted at the sight of his friend though.

"What did I fucking tell you? Don't call me that in public!" The boy scolded, revealing a harsh language that contrasts with his innocent appearance.

Peko bowed in shame. "I'm sorry yo-er Fuyuhiko. But I was concerned when I lost sight of you."

Fuyuhiko waved his arm dismissively. "I can handle going on my own. I may be a kid, but I can go wherever I need to go."

"But if you were in danger…"

"Well that's what I have you around for!" Fuyuhiko countered with a smile. Peko felt her face flush at the faith her master had in her and bowed in embarrassment.

"I am simply required to do what a tool does…"

"Is that fucking garbage still in your head?" Fuyuhiko growled. "You aren't a tool, you are my friend Peko. How many times do I have to say it?"

Before Peko could retort she suddenly shrieked in surprise. "KYAH!"

The reason? She was splashed with a full can of ice cold soda. The culprit was on the ground, and gave the two a surprised glance.

"Oh, I'm sorry." The boy on the ground quickly apologized. "I didn't watch where I was going and I…"

"Save it buster!" Fuyuhiko yelled in fury ('my name is Nagito…'). "Maybe if you weren't being a goddamn klutz…"

"First of all." Nagito started. "Language, we're only children. Second: Do you kiss your mother with that mouth? And third: I said I was sorry! Do you want me to clean her up or something?"

"A: I don't give a rat's ass on my fucking language or B: what I say to my mother." The yakuza growled. "And C: You can start by getting her some towels…"

"And a blanket…" Peko whimpered slightly. Oh to be humiliated in front of her master. This was shameful to the highest degree.

"All right!"

* * *

Double this time. Nagito thought to himself as he went to his car. Given his constant accidents, he made it a habit to prepare bandages, towels, and any things that someone who has poor luck might require. And believe him that would be a lot.

Fuyuhiko and Peko. Two of the characters from Danganronpa. The former growing on him immensely after the latter's death. What a wonderful bunch of characters.

Okay, that sounded wrong. He shouldn't think of these people as characters. They were honest to god humans now in a freaky world.

He came to the zoo when he saw an advertisement after slipping down the stairs on his school. It was just a mere coincidence that it happened the day the young swordswomen and her master also went to said zoo…or more accurately, probably just his luck working its magic again.

"Still, Peko and Fuyuhiko…? Not that much of a surprise. Those two were practically inseparable before they landed on that twisted island." Nagito mused to himself. And already Fuyuhiko has shown how much he values Peko.

According to his memory, the time Peko and Fuyuhiko went to a zoo ended with the young yakuza challenging the king monkey to a fight…

And they are near the primate exhibit…

"Again, I am so sorry about that." Nagito apologized as handed the swordswoman a towel. She pouted and cleaned herself up. "That's fine."

"Who the hell are you anyway?" Fuyuhiko demanded.

"I'm Nagito Komaeda." He stated with an easy grin. "And you two are…?"

"Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu." He muttered.

"Peko Pekoyama." She answered with a bow.

"Kuzuryuu?" He asked in fake wonder. "Does that make you a gangster?"

Peko raised an eyebrow. No surprise, most kids don't familiarize themselves with criminals. Especially highly organized one.

"What's it to you?" Fuyuhiko on the other hand was apathetic to his knowledge…well he was also rude, but that was just how he was.

"Oh nothing…just find it weird."

"So who's this girl? Is she a yakuza as well?"

"Peko…she's a friend." Fuyuhiko carefully stated. Peko on the other hand merely nodded her consent. Make sense. She can't outright call herself a bodyguard right in public.

"I see…it's nice to have friends isn't it?"

The yakuza gave him a deadpan glare. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh nothing." Nagito stated. "Just someone you can trust above all else…I would like to have one as well."

Peko gave him a strange glance, while Fuyuhiko rolled his eye. "Oh why are you whining about this to me? Go cry to your parents!"

"I don't have parents. They died two years ago…" Peko herself winced at that comment.

"Does that sound like my problem?" Though his facial expression made it pretty clear that he was bothered that he picked at a touchy subject.

"No it does not." Nagito admitted with a smile. Honestly speaking, he didn't know why he was sounding so enigmatic. Perhaps he was preparing for the role he'll have to play on Dangan Island.

Fuyuhiko scratched the back of his head with a conflicted expression and said. "Well what? Do you want to spend time with a fucking yakuza?"

"Well it would be interesting!"

"Fine! Not my problem anyway…" Peko gave an apologetic glance. Nagito shrugged in response.

The two then saw Fuyuhiko giving an angry glare at a cage.

"This chimp is looking at me funny…" Fuyuhiko growled. Nagito rolled his eyes and said. "It's a gorilla."

Said gorilla was now making a rather…mocking face at the boys. Naturally, this aggravated the yakuza.

"HEY!" And the boy charged ahead, only being stopped by Nagito.

"Now, now…" Nagito tried to mediate, sweat forming on his brows. "Let us not do something we'll probably regret in the long run." And when he turned around, he almost felt like crying,

The gorilla was giving a mock imitation of the middle finger. Naturally, this caused the yakuza to see red.

"YOU WANT SOME YOU BASTARD!?" And Fuyuhiko charged, with Nagito unfortunately getting dragged along the way.

"Wait Fuyuhiko!" Peko called out in worry, already brandishing her sword.

"WHY ME!?" Nagito practically sobbed.

* * *

"I apologize for getting you involved." Peko stated with a furious blush on her face.

"No need." Nagito insisted. "It pays to see you do those badass swords move."

"I know right?" Fuyuhiko agreed. "She's one of the best. She already beat all the guys at our compound. Some of them were crying for a good weak."

Peko flushed at the shared compliments, especially from the ones coming from her master.

"Well it was unexpectedly simple." Nagito commented, a few bandages covering his face.

Fuyuhiko shrugged also bandaged. "I have connections." And he pointed to two beefy men in black suits giving a very subtle look at the about-to-pee-in-his-pants zookeeper.

"You're scary…" He commented while sweating.

"Have to be in my future business." Fuyuhiko stated with a smirk. "Have to admit, didn't expect you to knock out the gorilla."

"Neither did I…" It was a simple trip by the gorilla's feet. He landed on the ground and the damn ape didn't saw where it was going and…

"Till, we Yakuza have a thing about owing a debt." Fuyuhiko admitted. "We don't like doing so though."

"And this is relevant because…"

"So if you have a deal, just contact me." The future heir stated with a smirk.

"So the young yakuza owes me a favor…" Nagito said with a grin. "I'll be sure to remember that." He sincerely hopes there wasn't an expiration dates on these things.

"A yakuza keeps his promise." Fuyuhiko insisted with his trademark smirk. "You did a lot already today...plus it may have been my fault."

He held out his hand, Nagito saw Peko give him an encouraging smile so he consented.

"It was nice meeting you two…though is it strange to have a childhood friend whose a yakuza?" Well aware of her true nature.

Peko flushed. "It's…interesting."

Fuyuhiko rolled his eyes and grabbed her by the arm. The duo waved their farewell and went on their merry way.

As Nagito look the two walk away, he felt a smirk come to his face. Maybe he could use the favor when they all go to Dangan Island. Such as getting him to work together with the others and save lives, or maybe spare Mahiru's…

After all, Fuyuhiko values Peko far too much to allow her to die. It's even blatant here even though they are just kids.

Eh…he ships it.

As Nagito left the pound, he put his finger to his chin and pondered. He had three nightmares, showcasing Mikan, Teruteru, and Peko's execution. Then he ended up meeting said characters, with Fuyuhiko as an added bonus.

Were the dreams some sort of foreshadowing? Because they were certainly reaching a level where freaky is the main definition.

He wasn't supposed to deal with freaky until high school!

Nagito merely sighed and tapped his forehead. He missed it when the most worrying thing he had to do was paying the bills.

* * *

_It was a hot day in the savannah, as indicated by the lands stunning sun. It all accentuated a bizarre sight._

_A young teenage male clad in strange clothes were putting down some animals that resembled hamsters. Reason? A stampede of wild animals, all led by a black and white teddy bear._

_The male smiled at his pet, and got to work. Taking a long stick, and forcing it into the sand._

_The young man started drawing a circle around him, with plenty of runes to add to the mystique. All while the teddy bear continued it's fatal charge with its array of wild animals._

_POW!_

_…It was ultimately futile._

_The bloodied boy gave his beloved hamsters' one last smile before his eyes closed. Around him, the spirits of his former companions came to pick up his body; those helping their kind master reach the heavens._

_The white-haired boy patted the crying hamsters on the head as they watch their master be taken to heaven by the pet that preceded them._

* * *

"Hey Gundam!" A portly old man called out. "It's time to feed the animals."

"Silence uncle!" A prepubescent voice demanded. "I shall allow my vassals to feed after they are done cleansing themselves of human filth!"

The manager rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help but smirk. Meeting Gundam for the first time, few would guess that he happens to be an animal lover. But despite being only a young child, he is one of the most devoted employees. Takami knew this the day his sister introduced him to the boy.

Honestly, he just hired Gundam to allow him to escape from the roof of his abusive father (and he will never admit it, but the demonic cooking of his sister), the fact that he had the gift was just an unexpected, but nice bonus…he really wishes that he kept his mumbling about being a dark lord to himself though…

"What is it my vassals?" The scarf boy asked the animals. Very rarely did the animals ever started to shiver. Gundam knew that animals have a finer tuned sixth sense compared to normal mortals, so whenever they get really scared, he should get scared as well.

Gundam turned to see…a messy-haired boy giving a dull look to his surroundings.

"…Huh?" Was all that Gundam could muster out, rare for someone with his extensive vocabulary. This was the blasted demon that terrifies his animal companions so? He was just a mere mortal child.

"Hmm? Nice place you got here." The boy commented while munching on a burger. Gundam's face twisted with disgust. Why many mortals enjoy eating their animal compatriots, he will never know. Milk and eggs are one thing, but being a vegetarian was more his style.

(Side note: Gundam's mother is capable of making a few edible things, but there generally needs to be meat in them)

But more importantly, was the animal he held in his hand. A black kitten. One that Gundam was all too familiar with.

"I see you have made contact with the dark-furred one, vassal of Bast!" Gundam theatrically stated. "But be forewarned, this one is cursed!"

* * *

Nagito couldn't help but laugh at the scarped boy in front of him. Gundam Tanaka, The Ultimate Breeder, the fourth blackened, and a bunch of other titles too complicated to pronounce and/or understand.

"Cursed?" Nagito asked, generally curious. "It's just a little cat."

Gundam growled. "Do not be fooled by his innocent visage. He is a demon cursed by the gods of luck!"

'Sounds like I can emphasize.' Nagito deadpanned in his head.

"This feline suffered from a series of unfortunate events." Gundam revealed, the animals waving theatrically. "From his very birth, he accidentally ended up falling off his resting place."

"Ouch."

"His first owner broke her back due to a stray toy, second ended up burning his house down with cat nip, as for his third…well apparently it involved kitty litter…"

The man himself checked himself into a mental hospital. Gundam knew he shouldn't ask lest in fear of joining him.

Nagito could only blink. "Well…it looks like I found someone that shares my curse…"

"Why on earth do you consider yourself cursed?"

"Well there was the time I ended up breaking my arm, setting off my allergic reaction to shellfish, or losing the roof to my house all in the same month." He deadpanned in retort. This naturally caused the scarped boy's eyes to widen.

"Dear god!" Gundam exclaimed, eyes wide at Nagito's story. "Were you cursed by some sort of evil shaman at birth? Or did your ancestor fail to keep a sacred promise?"

"Strangely enough, that would explain far too much in my life…" Nagito stated bluntly.

He really should be driven mad by now, but in all honesty, other then his parents' death, nothing too traumatizing ever happened to him. He estimated that as long as he doesn't get too emotionally close to anyone, his bad luck will avoid effecting him to badly…dear god was that a depressing revelation that his tendency toward physical pain was preferable.

He saw the look in the kitten's eyes. He knew he was being superficial. But hey, he was in the body of a boy literally cursed by luck.

"I want him."

"Excuse me?" Gundam asked, dropping his trademark ham. "You did listen to what I said right?"

"I don't care. I want him." Nagito emphasized. "Besides, we are both cursed by luck. I can use a friend in the house."

Gundam rolled his eyes. But he can't deny he wasn't please. He genuinely did want the poor kitten to find a home, but its tendency for unusual situation made that difficult. If this boy had similar luck, maybe they can cancel each others luck out. Negative times a negative is a positive after all.

"Do I have to get him neutered?" Nagito asked. He saw the kitten suddenly tense up. Any male would be at the thought of losing their precious genitals. In fact, nearly all the male animals immediately tensed at that word.

"Erm…no one kept him long enough to try…" Gundam admitted behind his scarf. "I generally avoid harming animals in any way, but in all honesty we are depriving males of their rights!"

"So no to neutering." And Nagito could practically feel the cat relax in relief.

"What about your parents?" Gundam pointed out. "They have to pay the fees."

"I…I don't have any. They're dead. I'm paying on my own." This shut Gundam up, who gulped somewhat. The future breeder laughed uncomfortably to regain some momentum.

"Begone twin unfortunate ones!" Gundam called out to him with a gesture. "And perhaps one day we shall meet again." The pets chirped, hissed, and chattered their consent.

Nagito couldn't help but laugh. This was why Gundam was one of his favorites, and why his status as a blackened was such a gut-punch. He waved the hammy boys and his animals' goodbye, his new kitten mimicking his action.

As for the cat…he named it Kuro. Yes that was smarmy, but hey it's a pet. He would have named it Chiaki, but that was gone in favor of gender.

Kuro bit his fingers. He could only sigh.

* * *

_There was once an amazing ruler by the name of Queen Monokuma. The fairest bear in all of her kingdom._

_But her evil stepdaughter: Sonia Nevermind threatened to take that famous title from her. She wasn't even a bear!_

_So Queen Monokuma hired the huntress Monomi, but she chickened out like the coward she was and told Princess Sonia to run away._

_But the queen found the princess, and in a clever disguise, gives her a very special apple…a poisoned apple._

_Eventually Sonia ate the fatal apple, and fell asleep forever._

_And there was no prince to save her life. That white-haired boy watching her is nothing more then a mere commoner._

_And Queen Monokuma lived happily ever after._

* * *

A ten year old Sonia Nevermind gaped in wonder at the glistening scenery of Japan. The various skyscrapers, the bustling countryside, the vast bays were all available to see from her giant private jet.

"This is amazing!" The young girl shouted in wonder.

Her bodyguard Kurt merely gives an easy look out the window. The king and queen were busy with affairs so their prized bodyguard was in charge of making sure the princess has a nice and more importantly safe, visit.

"I understand why you are excited." Kurt stated. "But you shouldn't wander too far. It would be bad on your parent's part."

"Have faith Kurt." Sonia eased with a gentle smile, "I won't get lost…"

* * *

'I got lost…' Sonia sobbed to herself as she wondered through a park.

She got so absorbed with watching anime play on the TV screens, her bodyguard and her ended up separating.

"Are you alright?" A young voice called out. She turned to see a boy her age with black hair stuck in a puffy green jacket talking to her.

Sonia nodded despite the tears in her eyes. "I'll be fine." She stated in slightly accented Japanese.

" **Why hello there Princess Sonia**." The boy bowed. And he said in perfect Novoselicin.

" **You can speak my language**?" Sonia noted in shock. Novoselic's dialect wasn't particularly well known, so finding someone outside of her country who could speak the language was very limited.

The boy shrugged. " **It's not that difficult for me your majesty. I do have a photographic memory**."

" **Oh that is a rare skill**." The princess noted with a smidgen of envy in her glance. " **It would've made my studies so much easier**."

" **Which is?** "

" **I have to learn thirty languages.** " Sonia admitted with a sigh. " **I already learned ten, and I have twenty more to go**."

The boy blinked, and said. " **Well a day doesn't go by where I don't bless my memorization skills. In any case, have I introduced myself? My name is Komaeda Nagito or as they say in your country, Nagito Komaeda**."

" **And you know me as Sonia Nevermind or as in your country, Nevermind Sonia.** " The princess noted with a small smile. Her ears perked up when she heard a purr.

She turned to Nagito, and crawling out of the sleeves of his jacket was a small black kitten. Its very face caused Sonia's love of animals to act up.

" **Oh!** " Sonia cooed at the cute cat. " **Who is that?** "

" **Oh this is Kuro**." Nagito petted his cat. " **He's someone I recently adopted. It was a very interesting story…** " He trailed off when he realized Sonia was still staring at the cat with a fanciful look. He snapped a finger in front of her.

" **Huh?** " Sonia said in embarrassment, her cheeks flushing red. She's been distracted by the kitten because…well it was a kitten! Nagito merely shook his head in amusement. The sight of Kuro riding his master's shoulder often seems to be cute-inspiring.

" **Can I…?** " She reached her hands out. Her intentions quite blatant and clear.

" **Go on ahead. He doesn't bite.** " 'Anymore'. The princess squealed in joy and took the lazy cat into her arms. Kuro merely gave an apathetic glance as Sonia stroked his fur.

* * *

Nagito smirked at the cute sight of the princess petting Kuro. The nightmare he experienced was a new one. He recalls reading it before as Sonia's potential execution. So when he learned the royals of Novoselic were coming to Japan, he knew it was time to come.

Oh yeah, and he decided on learning the language on a whim. Apparently it was similar enough to English that learning it wasn't too difficult. He decided to expand his knowledge in regards to languages, thinking it might come in handy in the future.

" **So what brings a princess to Japan anyway?** " Nagito asked, making sure no one was walking by the alley.

" **I spent most of my childhood in my palace.** " Sonia revealed with a slightly wistful tone. " **I never visited another country before. I found Japanese culture to be so fascinating that I really wanted to come here!** "

" **This is the first time out of Novoselic?** "

" **In all honesty…yes.** " She revealed with a sigh. And for the most part, it was practically like out of her palace for more then a few hours.

" **Hey, if I want to visit another country, it wouldn't be difficult**." He noted with a smirk.

" **Shouldn't your parents get worried though?** " Sonia questioned.

" **I don't have any parents. They died when I was five** " Nagito said quickly enough in hope for her to miss it. No such luck existed it seems. He felt a tiny pair of arm grabbed his arms as he saw the princess giving him a tearful look.

"Why are you hugging me?" He deadpanned.

"Because it is so sad!" Sonia sobbed. "To lose your parents when you are just a child! No child deserves that fate!"

" **I'm over it**." Nagito quickly amended, already far too used to the tears of sympathy he receives. " **I was young!** "

" **It's still awful!** "

After calming the poor girl down, she give him a small smile and bend her knees.

"Thank you Nagito!" She stated with a bow. "For helping me out."

"Why are you bowing?"

"Is this not what the Japanese do to show respect?"

Nagito smirked. "Well you are being rather formal..." Oh well, if the girl keeps doing her research, she'll have a better knowledge when she comes to Hope's Peak.

" **YOUR HONOR!** "

"Looks like you're bodyguards are here!"

"Thank you good sir!" Sonia waved to the sitting child and his cat as she ran towards her bodyguards.

Nagito merely smiled and waved back. At this point he felt like he was collecting premature hope fragments at the rate he was going. He always liked Sonia, how she tried her best to remain clean, and succeeded…and how she might be dirty in the most perverse way possible…oh how he can't wait to find out.

He failed to notice someone sneak up behind him. A bag suddenly over his head, and all he saw was darkness.

"ALRIGHT!" A voice cheered. "We kidnapped the princess!"

Oh yay, he was being kidnapped. May his luck save him now.

It was a long day afterwards, with the video message of the king and queen of Novoselic actually apologizing to Nagito for the inconvenience.

On the bright side, he found a lottery ticket. Now his already considerable finance rose even further!

Only for his bank to lose half the money on some sort of robbery.

That night, the boy dreamed of when his life wasn't completely bonkers in every sort of way.

* * *

_The location was around the floors of an abandoned area. The sun was shining brightly and the air was clear._

_A violet haired teen clad in a green jumpsuit with some very sharp teeth struggled through the rope as he sat on a chair. His eyes widened in fear at the sight of a monochrome teddy bear jumping up and pressing a button._

_The teddy bear threw the violet-haired boy into the machine, and closed the door. The boy slammed his hands into the windows. The monochrome bear only laughed as it slammed a button near its palm._

_From below the machine, a giant drill came into view and plunged straight into the earth, a jet fueling it's destination into the core._

_The drill keeps spinning and spinning, making the jumpsuit-clad teen dizzier and dizzier. It finally stopped when it arrived at the flaming heat that is the core._

_The sharp-tooth screamed at the feeling of lava surrounding him. From high up the teddy bear and a green jacket boy looked at the scene with horrific fascination from the boy and complete joy from the bear._

* * *

A nervous looking eleven year old with black hair and thick glasses quickly navigated his way through the streets on his bike. His motion sickness wasn't as strong if he was causing the motion. Unfortunately he was spotted by the last people he wanted to see him.

"Hey it's that geek!" A voice called out. A group of chortling kids were hanging out, grinning sadistically at the sight of their favorite victim.

'Oh god…not now!' The boy on the bike gritted his teeth in frustration revealing them to be absurdly sharp. He made his plan

"3…2…1…GO!" And he slammed down on the button. The engine connected to his bike fired up and accelerated the ride.

The bully following him opened his eyes in shock. "What the-?" But he was ignored as the mechanic's bike reached a level where it could've broken a barrier.

"My name is Kazuichi Soda!" The boy called out with a laugh. The bullies behind him cursed as the bike sped way past their speed limit.

Laughing at escaping his tormentors, Kazuichi decided he was far enough to break…only to come to a horrific realization.

'Oh no…oh no no no no!" He shouted in fear as the engine was not stopping on his command.

He pressed down on the brakes as hard as he can, and this time it finally stopped…only for it to throw him off the bike.

The boy screamed as he flew through the air, and stopped when he landed on some bushes. He felt himself lose consciousness as the sight before him blackened.

* * *

It was a wet sensation that grazed the mechanic's face. He scrunched up his face as he felt a headache come to his head. The boy slowly opened his eyes to see his blurred vision meet the green one of a cat.

The cat licked Kazuichi's face as the mechanic turned his head in confusion. He saw above him was someone in a green jacket holding out his glasses towards him. The cat meowed in the background.

"Thanks…" Kazuichi said, taking the glasses from the stranger. He was a boy his age with messy black hair, a green jacket, and tired eyes.

"Nagito Komaeda." The boy introduced himself as. He shook his cat. "This is Kuro. My buddy."

* * *

'So this is what he looks like…' Nagito commented to himself. 'Huh…the shark teeth are natural?' He was well aware that the mechanic's hair and eye color were faked. But to think his unnaturally sharp teeth were authentic was certainly surprising.

To be honest he always like the mechanic…except when the writers made his love for Sonia his one and only character trait. Dear god, he knew he shouldn't interfere in love lives (Even despite his love of shipping), but damn it, he was going to hold an intervention for that one.

"I'm Nagito Komaeda." He bowed and pointed at his cat. "And this is Kuro."

"Meow!"

"Kazuichi Soda…" He murmured as he picked himself up with Nagito's help.

"So I can't but help but see that scene." Nagito noted with a laugh. "You get a ten for the escape, but a two for the aftermath."

The mechanic flushed and gritted his sharp teeth. "Hey, I prefer being away from those jackasses over pain any day of the week."

"I can emphasize." Nagito admitted. "Though I did find a way to make the bullies at my school leave me alone."

"How?"

Nagito gave him the 'smile'. It was something he created after playing through multiple horror games. He based his off of what he can gather from Nagito in the game. It worked like a charm…except it also made other kids react in a certain way.

"GYAAHH!"

Something like that.

"Sorry about that." Nagito dropped his 'smile'. "But maybe you can create your own. You have the right teeth for it!"

Kazuichi, who was still shivering in fear, retorted. "No thanks...Maybe changing my image would be a better idea."

"And you think that will work?"

"Course it can! I'm a mechanic. Instead of a machine, I'll just dismantle me instead to create something new!"

'Hope you don't change what's inside as well...' Nagito noted. "You're a mechanic?" he decided to ask in false wonder.

"Yup!"

He held out a PSP Vita. His finances allowed him to be very capable of catching the trend. As such, he has a lot of video games.

"So can you fix it?" Nagito asked with a smirk. This was the future Ultimate Mechanic. It certainly would be nice to see exactly what he was capable. Fixing his game system would certainly be a nice start. It made a bad drop after he got the winning raffle at his school.

Kazuichi gained a very sharp grin and answered. "Child's play buddy."

And so he did.

And it ended with him actually stepping on a particularly sharp part of the repair store… Yeah, this was just getting old at this point.

Thankfully, it wasn't anything too major.

* * *

_The lightning flashed. The natural light brightened the sky to show a dark gloomy castle. The rain continues to pour on the gothic building._

_Walking through the ominous corridor was a young girl with short crimson hair, and carrying a large camera._

_Her facial expressions were nervous, especially at the sight of all the cobwebs and such all accompanied by the lightning and thunder continuing outside._

_She stopped in her track when she came across a dusty photo album stuck in her way._

_The girl picked up the photo album and started to leaf through the pages. Her facial features grew more and more disturbed upon the images she was seeing._

_It was her reading the same photo album, all while a specter was strangling her slender neck with their pale hands...and right now she was feeling like she can't breathe..._

_The ghost clasped their hands around the redhead's neck. She only let out a silent scream as the ghost strangled her to death. Her camera clicked one last time to photograph the gruesome scene._

_Her photos developed to show the one causing the strangulation was a bear, while the other spirit was that of a messy haired boy watching the scene sadly._

* * *

'Oh that looks good.' A young crimson-haired girl noted in glee as she took a photo. The shot was that of a bluebird feeding her children. 'The warm image of seeing a mother bird work for her children…Wish it applies to dads too…' She mused to herself, some what bitterly at that.

The young photographer was currently in the park near him. Like most of the time spent there, the girl practiced her photography skills by taking picture of anything that catches her fancy. Her name was Mahiru Koizumi.

'Aw…' Mahiru cooed at the sight of seeing a black kitten clawing at the wall. 'How cute'. And she took a photo.

Her next shot shows a boy her age picking up the cat and scratching its ears. A perfectly nice and affable shot.

As for her next one, it shows the boy…looking straight her way. And for the next photo, he was waving with the cat mimicking him. The last one caused her face to blush in embarrassment at being caught.

"You know…" He walked up to her, "Most people would generally be uncomfortable at being photographed without permission. It makes them feel like a stalker is tailing them"

Mahiru could only growl at the boy in front of her. The worst part was that he pretty much had every right to reprimand her.

"Of course…me and Kuro would make a damn good model if I do say so myself." Nagito noted with a grin. His cat seemed to be practically imitating him as well.

Okay, he was already better then most guys. But that doesn't mean he has to be so smarmy!

* * *

'Why does it not surprised me she was one of those girls?' Nagito noted to himself.

Mahiru was 'that' girl. The one that seemed to have a grudge against the opposite gender. She was never a favorite of his due to that…but it certainly didn't warrant him to not be upset about her death!

"I'll have you know that…how cute!" how being Kuro lying on his back and stretching himself out.

'Gets them every time.' He noted with a smirk as Mahiru immediately started to pet the cat. Kuro learned to do that whenever he was dealing with someone troublesome, be it to cuteness or intimidation.

"Well this isn't my neighborhood." Nagito commented. "I was out on a stroll, and ended up getting lost since Kuro ran somewhere. It's how I ended up here."

"Don't your parents know where you are?" Mahiru asked the obvious question.

He opened his mouth, and decided against it. He really did not want to deal with any sympathy at the moment. Instead he changed the subject.

"So what's with all those photographs?"

She looked down at her camera and shrugged. "Oh it was a birthday gift from my dad. He thought I wanted to be like my mom for once."

"That was nice of him."

"Surprisingly so." Stated Mahiru. Judging by the look on her face, she really hated the fact that her father being considerate was a surprise to her.

"Hey, I'm pretty sure he cares for you."

"I don't doubt that. It's just…" Mahiru started. "…I just wish he…did more. Like a mom should" She turned to see Nagito pointing at the tree.

"Look at that." And the birds from before were playing around with another bird, most likely the father.

"We have a special relationship with the one who gave birth to us." Nagito noted. "But don't forget parenthood is a two-way process." Kuro hummed as it scratched his head.

"No you can't eat them."

"Meow..."

Mahiru could only give a small smile at the birds playing around. A mom, dad, and a kid...yeah that was too nice a shot not to take.

"You're not so bad…for a boy." And she ran off with a laugh, pointing her tongue out at the boy and his cat.

'Let it go. She's only a little girl right now.' Nagito grumbled to himself as Kuro merely shook his head in amusement. His master could be so amusing whenever he wasn't being whimsical.

* * *

_He was surrounded by monkey bars. A large burly teenager. He growled as he realized he was being chased by a teddy-bear carrying some various dangerous surgical equipment. The man roared and jumped._

_He jumped, grabbed, and climbed his way through the makeshift jungle gym, willing himself to escape his captor._

_Right when he was about to reach the last bar…_

_A bear came to jump out and scare him with a loud klaxon._

_He fell and screamed in terror as he landed on the ground. The immense fear had a high effect on his body. Especially on the moment he collided with the ground._

_The man grasped his heart and fainted, his body moving in a spastic fashion. Eyes rolling up his head and foam developing at his mouth._

_The bear came up with a pair of defibrillator and stated 'clear' and electrocuted the heavy man. But to no avail. The heart monitor completely stopped, indicating the man's death._

_An albino bystander merely shook his head at the sad sight._

* * *

"So that's it huh?" Twelve year old Nekomaru Nidai said out loud. His father warned his mother that this would happen someday. Nekomaru was unfortunate enough to overhear his parents discuss it.

The doctor bowed his head in pity. "That is correct. Your heart disorder will eventually kill you when you become twenty…even younger if you exert yourself too much."

Nekomaru was numb to his mother's tears as he tries to compute what has happened. He knew his condition wasn't ideal. But he couldn't comprehend the fact that his heart condition won't let him live to see his thirties.

Nekomaru remembered Daisuke. On how the boy kept on helping out his team, despite knowing that he had only a few years left to live.

He eventually overworked himself to the point of dying himself. Why he did that? Nekomaru didn't know. He ended up walking away from the room to get some air, and collect his composure.

So lost was he that he ended up bumping into someone else.

"Sorry." Said a downright ill-looking male his age. The splotches of white in his hair were quite indicative of him being a regular at the hospital.

"It's my mistake."

* * *

'Had to come here sooner or later'. Nagito thought to himself as he looked at his medical records. He wasn't feeling well lately, so suspecting the worst he went to the hospital. This was the confirmation of something he knew was going to happen.

He didn't have any major disease…not yet in any case. But the doctor's made it quite clear. There was a high chance of him contracting a potentially fatal illness.

'Yeah…lymphoma…' He wasn't that familiar with the disease. But he know it effects it would have.

It should've upset him. For him to lose his life to an accident and now lose it again at such a young age. In all honesty, the only thing he felt was a complete numbness.

Which is why he didn't notice bumping into someone.

"Sorry."

"It's my mistake." Nagito noted, and then he took a closer look at the boy in front of him.

"Wow…I knew Nekomaru said he was small…" But it was downright baffling how petite the future coach was; well at least he was still tall. Whatever training he took part in; it sure had its effects.

* * *

The two boys were now sitting in an area where they hit it off. Nekomaru just finished telling him what he has learned about himself, and just how much time is left for him to live.

"That's rough." Honestly speaking, perhaps this was why Nekomaru accepted that he was a robot so easily. He believed it would help bolster his limited life…not that it didn't stop him from being murdered but it's the thought that counts.

"Here's what I think." Nagito started. "If you only have a limited time to live, why not make the best of it? That's probably what Daisuke thought."

Nekomaru could only smirk. "That's corny…but it has merit. Daisuke always was full of spirit."

"I just don't want to die young." Nagito noted with a small smile. "As long as there a small chance I'll live, trust me, I will take it." Nekomaru nodded his approval at that.

"Maybe I should follow in Daisuke's footstep." The spiked boy noted. "And become a coach myself."

"Even if you can't play in a game?"

"It never bothered Daisuke!" He slammed his fist into his palm and opened his mouth.

"I, NEKOMARU NIDAI, WILL BECOME THE BEST COACH I COULD BE!" Nagito could only face-palm at what he was doing; the nurses and patients staring at them didn't help matters. The worst part was Nekomaru giving him an expectant glare.

"I don't think I should..."

"SCREAM IT!"

"I, NAGITO KOMAEDA, WILL NOT DIE!" He shouted, mostly out of a twisted fear.

Nagito and Nekomaru fist pumped. And they shared a small smile. Though Nagito tried to ignore the chattering happening around the two.

"I'll be rooting for you." Nekomaru stated.

"Same here buddy." Nagito answered with a smile. "I'll do my best to improve my own athletic ability. And I'll try to make sure I reach an age where I can complain about kids on my lawn…so should you."

"I can only promise to try."

The other reason the disease didn't affect him that much yet. That bit of hope…that he will survive his ordeal and cure himself. After all, cliché as it is, one has to have hope. Nagito and Nekomaru managed to survive long enough to get in that pod, so it can still happen.

Nekomaru's stomach started to growl, the coach's face flushed and hastily said. "I think I need to take a shit!" and the boy ran away.

Nagito could only shake his head in amusement. He was wondering when that would pop up.

Also his death…well his dreams certainly helped made him feel better about it.

* * *

_A banquet of food lay on a table, filled to the brim with all sorts of delicious courses enough to satisfy anybody. It was all guarded by a large obstacle course._

_An athletic, tanned girl looked on with determination as she sees her course was riffed with saws, lasers, and all sort of horrible traps._

_And the bear fired a gun into the air, while wearing a coaches clothes._

_The girl ran, jumped, and danced through the near-fatal obstacle course. She was skilled as she managed to achieve her goal._

_However, before she crossed the finish line, she stepped on a trigger._

_She shrieked and lowered her head, twisting her body in every angle possible to avoid the spears. And the girl managed to succeed._

_A knife fired from right behind her._

_The knife imbedded itself into the tan girl's body. She let out a gasp of surprise before she finally passed out. The wound being instantly fatal._

_A bear and a teen looked on the scene, while the bear laughed at her near-victory, the boy sadly ate a chicken leg._

* * *

"Excellent work Akane!" Kogoro praised with a grin. He was an elderly man with a big grin on his face...though one can't help but feel it was somewhat perverse

"Yeah, yeah you big perv…" A young tanned girl about thirteen year old garbed in the standard gymnast uniform stated dismissively. "So you're saying that his competition will get the money I need?"

Kogoro merely shrugged. "Of course! Just practice and see!"

Akane Owari rolled her eyes. She never really practiced that hard. She never needed to. As long as she got the money to support her family, all was well and good in her book.

"Big sis Akane!" She turned to see her younger sister, Midori, a girl with similarly tanned skin and about eight years old. She was pointing at another part of the gym. "Look!"

Akane pouted at the boy her sister pointed at. He looked too…sick to frequent her gym.

He was currently working on the balance beam. He was definitely more flexible then the average male.

He was quite good. Not to her level of course, but it was clear that he had a large amount of practice. Probably needed it too considering how thin he was. Geez, you think he built some actual muscle if he practiced that long. And why does his hair look white? He didn't seem that old!

He ended with a jump off the beam. The surrounding viewers gave a polite clap. Though his composure was ruined slightly when he ended up bending over and gasping for breath.

"I'm Akane Owari." She introduced herself as she walked up to the heaving practitioner.

"Nagito Komaeda." He breathed out, sweating heavily.

* * *

'You know…I'm surprised she filled out that much…' Nagito noted to himself as he saw just how tomboyish Akane was. Puberty was very kind on this one. If he didn't know any better, he would've mistaken her for a guy.

"You're pretty good for a guy." Akane noted with a smirk. "Course, I'm much better."

"I won't deny that. I did it when I realize I have no hope of building muscles." Nagito deadpanned. "So just I just focus on the one athletic skill I can excel at."

The girl shrugged. "Well I guess that's too bad Naruto."

"Nagito."

"Whatever. Course, I never really took an interest in this game." Akane stated with a shrug. "This old guy recommended me."

"She doesn't even have to try!" Kogoro proudly revealed. "She won all her contests with a basic understanding of the rule and barely any practice!"

Nagito tried not to think too hard about that. It reminds him far too much of how those with talents will always beat the the rest, no matter how hard they trained. It was way too reminiscent of the mindset of the original Nagito.

"Course you look pretty weak." Akane commented with a frown. "I doubt you make it in my neighborhood."

"Because being weak can get you harmed?" Nagito decided to answer.

"Smart kid." Akane noted. "It's bad to be weak. It can kill you."

"Maybe when you're safe, you can be weak?" Nagito pointed out. "Just a thought."

"Like that's going to happen!" Her face, now ferocious, twisted.

Nagito merely shrugged, but he saw no point in saying any more. Looking at the clock, he decided it was time to make his leave.

"Have fun Akane." Nagito decided. "Hope you do well in your life."

"Yeah, yeah...but I'm not sure I'll remember your name though." Akane warned him with a scratch of her head. Her sister shook her head in disappointment.

Nagito merely smiled. "Don't worry. I'll remember yours!" It was highly unlikely she'll remember him when they reach the island though.

"WATCH OUT!" A voice called out and interrupting his musing.

"Typical…" Was all Nagito could say before he got hit by the loose balance beam. And there goes his mind…

* * *

_It was the stage. A young girl with blonde hair crafted in a crescent and glad in a kimono waved her fan at a seemingly empty audience. She decided to dance her traditional formation, but her movements were more sluggish compared to the regular._

_The audience piled up, all holding various insults printed on their screen. 'Bitch', 'Lowlife', and 'Pig' and such._

_She continued to dance, her teeth gritting at all the insults thrown her way. A cutting sound was heard and a net above her head swung open._

_An array of ropes went down and surrounded the girl's neck. Cracks started to appear as a half-and-half bear started cracking the stage._

_The girl realized that the ropes have wrapped themselves around her neck, and she couldn't scream due to the pressure the ropes had on her._

_The stage collapsed while the poor girl hung in the air, dainty feet dangling before the audience of a white haired teen and a chortling bear._

* * *

"Thank you, thank you!" 'Huh, what saps! Praise me more.' Hiyoko Saionji said and thought to herself over the cheering audience.

'Oh god, not this…' Probably someone gushing over how they are her biggest fan and what not. Well can't fault them for having good taste.

The spotlight landed on one tired looking boy. He gave the spotlight a surprised, and somewhat unhappy, glance as he stood up.

He followed her into her dressing room as she looked up to him. He looked like some kind of freak with the splotches of white in his hair, and his baggy green jacket only made him seem even more disheveled.

"So are you a constant fan?" She decided to ask the primary questions.

"No."

"Ooh…a first-timer?"

"Yes."

"Did you like the performance?"

"I don't see what's so appealing about that dance of yours. It's not really that impressive" The dark-haired child commented with a scratch to his face and a deadpan expression.

Hiyoko growled at the boy's comment. Who was he to judge? She spent years honing her work and he came along just to mock her for it!

"So why did you came?"

"I won a special ticket. It would be rude not to attend."

"Would you have come at all?"

"Not really."

Right as she was about to retort…she noticed something…and she squealed in joy.

* * *

'Hiyoko Saionji' Nagito mused to himself with a frown. 'This displeases me…'

To be brutally honest, if there were any future classmates that Nagito could say he dislikes, it would probably be Hiyoko. He never could tolerate her rude attitude and especially her bullying of other characters. As such, he wasn't too broken up when she died in the game.

And of course, he'd be the lucky audience member that gets to talk to her. This was 100 percent bad luck right here. Just like that ticket he won at school. Unlike other his other lottery victories, this was something that he did not want…but alas, he couldn't break the pattern.

But that was then. Right now, he was thinking of how he can get her to free his cat.

The black's cat green eyes widened as he tried to free himself from the clutches of the dancer.

"That's enough ma'am." Nagito quickly swiped his pet from the dancer's arm. Years of practice made it easy.

"Aww…" Hiyoko pouted. "I was just adding a little fun..."

"I prefer my life without a little excitement…thank you very much." Trust him. He was cherishing his currently quiet life.

There were a few missteps here or there, primarily because of his crappy luck (His poor teacher), but he thought he was doing fine with his current luck.

"Tcsh…what a wuss." Hiyoko commented as she walked away. Nagito couldn't stop the twitch coming to his right eye.

"There is something wrong with you… You don't have to be so...cruel" Nagito noted. There was something wrong with the entire class, but she was the only one who ever bothered him.

"Why are you being so mean to me?!" Hiyoko cried with a sob. But he could practically feel her being her usual lying self. So he decided to punish her a little bit...

He 'smiled' at her, which caused her to give a look of pure fear. Her tears instantly stopped and she slowly walked away.

'I really shouldn't be satisfied by the sight of that…' Nagito thought to himself, even despite the dirty looks he was currently receiving. "Look I'll leave, we'll pretend we never talked about this."

Hiyoko sniffed. But the glare in her eye was readily apparent, though it was matched by a tiniest bit of fear. Nagito merely held his arms up and walked away.

Kuro purred to his owner and swiped his face with his tail. Nagito looks down at his cat and said. "I know. I still plan on saving her as well you know."

The cat growled.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll get your revenge one day." Nagito assured. Now that he thinks about it, he didn't even really introduce himself. Probably for the best, he did not want her to recognize him when they get to the island.

And not one bad thing happened that day. Probably because for him, Hiyoko was bad luck as it is.

* * *

_A podium with an audience filled to the brim. On the stage was a girl with strange drill-like hair carrying a guitar._

_She cheered and started playing on the instrument; her finger's becoming rapid-fire as the loud music works their way through the amps._

_Except when a bear pulled a lever causing a trap door to appear before the girl's feet. She yelped and dropped, her guitar falling on the stage._

_She ended up getting tied up in some rope. Her back was on the bed as she twisted and turned on the bed._

_Two amps made their way directly to her ears, the bear laughed and started playing quickly on the guitar._

_The music played at their highest volume right into the poor girl's ear, her eyes bugged, her mouth opened to scream…and she lived no more._

_The white-haired boy gazed at the scene in horrific fascination. While the bear manager let out a hearty chuckle._

* * *

"Let's see…Fall out Boys…Nirvana…Ew! Nickelback!..." A young girl with multi-colored hair pointed upwards listed off as she walks through the aisle.

She was Ibuki Mioda, an up and coming musician. Right now she was currently cataloging the various bands of her newest favorite genre, rock. The location? Her favorite music store.

"Hmm?" Ibuki turned her head. There she saw a boy who quite frankly looked like her after an all-nighter, though his black hair with specks of white was pretty cool. He was currently collecting a large amount of CD'S. He turned to match her gaze. He smiled and waved.

Not seeing any reason not to, Ibuki waved back and walked up to him.

"So you like foreign music?" Ibuki questioned. She noted that he was buying his fair share of rap and pop. Primarily of the American variety.

"Ah…no. It's just American pop I like." Nagito admitted as he took out a copy of the latest album. "I listen to a lot of pop music, and America has a lot to choose from. J-pop just started to sound the same after a while"

Ibuki couldn't help but nod in agreement. That's why she likes punk and rock a lot. There are certain similarities, but each song will sound different coming from the best.

"So trying to improve your English skills?"

"I already speak English."

"Wait you can understand it?" Ibuki asked in wonder and Nagito nodded in agreement. The musician felt a grin come to her face at that.

"Ibuki is jealous! You know how many songs Ibuki can sing if she knew other languages? English, French, British, Martians…"

* * *

'Don't ever change Ibuki…' Nagito thought to himself in amusement as the hyperactive girl continued to list on various increasingly nonsensical language.

He always did like this girl a lot. Her murder was the one that got to him the most…and it happen at the same time as Hiyoko, whose death he didn't mind in the slightest…life can be stupid sometimes.

"Any way, Ibuki would like to know your name."

"Oh, it's Nagito."

"Alrighty then Nagito! What brings you here? This is Ibuki's section of the chapter after all!"

'Wait, did she just break…?' But before he could question it, he ended up feeling a little twitch and stopped caring enough to ask.

"I wanted to buy some records." Nagito answered truthfully. "This was the best place to buy them not in my neighborhood."

"What's wrong with your neighborhood?"

"I burned the shop down to the ground." Oh dear god…the screams will never fade from his memory any time soon.

And so Nagito gave the girl a brief explanation of his luck cycle. Ibuki's eyes widened with each successive account.

"What was that about smiling?"

Instead of being terrified, Ibuki's eyes lit up in wonder.

"She'll name a song after you!" Ibuki started with an inquisitive expression. "I'll call it 'The boy and the smile that belongs on every horror movie soundtrack!' It will be a huge hit!"

"I won't even charge you for royalties!" Nagito noted in amusement holding up his hand, Ibuki cheered and high-fived him…only to hear a crunch!

Ibuki and Nagito looked down at the broken album. The luckster let out a long suffering sigh and went back into the music store, while Ibuki stared as if trying to comprehend what has happened.

"It was nice meeting you Ibuki." Nagito stated later. The two went on their merry way.

"Ibuki won't forget you Nagito!"

"Nagito will remember you too Ibuki!" The luckster called out in good humor.

He received a huge headache from listening to Ibuki's music.

* * *

_Mirrors everywhere!_

_Various faces appeared on each mirror as the dark-faced boy started running through the corridor._

_A face of a haughty boy with glasses, a pointy haired young man, a man with lots of hair…varying degrees of faces, male or female appeared all sharing the same distinction of being somewhat chubby._

_He finally reached the end of the corridor._

_There was one more mirror, this time a boy with white hair reflecting on it. Her gave the unknown child a small smile and pointed up._

_This time, a black and white teddy bear giving a small smile. It took out a dvd and played it, revealing it to be the sound of an opera singer._

_Cracks developed on the mirror on the ceiling as the singer hit the right frequency._

_The mirrors all shattered into multiple pieces and rained down on the shadowed body. The frames cover the corpse as blood flows everywhere._

* * *

The child kept a watchful eye in the hot summer day. Watch for what? They didn't know. It was simply a habit that they had since childhood.

It all started when they hit their heads maybe seven years ago. They completely forgot who they were. No birth certificate, no name, no home…nothing.

All they understood was their body was how malleable it was, but they also had the ability to mimic voices perfectly.

And so they let themselves become an impostor. Find a missing child's report and pretend that they were that child. Gender was inconsequential to his goals.

Eventually they will be found out, but he'll do anything for a warm bed and plenty of food.

Right now they were Akira Kuroda, a child who got lost a month ago. So right now the child will refer to himself as a he.

Akira nodded to the boy. He was certainly interesting. His hair had specks of white in it, and the way he was carrying his pitch black cat made him seem a little spooky.

"Are you lost?" Was the polite thing to ask.

"Ah, no. Kuro here wanted a walk from our house." The boy admitted. The cat purred in response.

"I'm Akira Kuroda." He said, using his fake name. "And can I ask you a question?"

"What?"

"Can you give me a full description of who you are?" It was a very personal question…but he was interested in seeing how a random person would answer.

The boy actually looked deep in thought, absent-mindingly scratching the head of his cat, eyes deep in thought.

"I'm Nagito Komaeda." Was all the boy answered. "I have crappy and excellent luck. Practically the only family I have left is Kuro here."

"Are you happy with whom you are?"

"Honestly…no. But I still don't want to change anytime soon." He liked that he said that. It meant he still values himself.

"Good. Treasure who you are." The impostor said as he walked away.

"Does that mean you don't treasure who you are?" Nagito asked.

They gave him a small smile as he departed. "I'd like to."

They won't forget the strange boy. It was a unique answer. Few people outright answered that they weren't satisfied with who they were, but they still want to be that person.

It was a nice change of pace from the norm.

* * *

'What a weird kid…' Nagito thought to himself. The kid's voice was kinda strange. And their baggy clothes made it hard to tell if they were a boy or a girl. He decided it was irrelevant and went his way.

When Nagito saw the news report about the missing child being Akira Kuroda, who was much more slender then the kid he saw, he could face-palm in disbelief over his realization that he met the Ultimate Impostor.

* * *

Kuro purred as Nagito scratched behind his ears. The luck-filled boy sighed as he replayed the scenes inside his head. The odds of seeing his future classmates (Bar Chiaki and Hajime for obvious reasons) were truly astonishing. He made some connections with them, but he wasn't sure if it will make all of them remember him.

He scratched his hair and sighed. His disease has finally reached the point where his hair turns completely white due to the lack of nutrition. The doctor stated that he won't make it past his second year of high school.

He knew better.

Nagito could only smirk to himself. Most SI stories generally have the SI meeting the characters beforehand. That was one check-list down.

It can go in different ways. The SI makes the story worse, he makes it run a different course, or he could be a total Gary-Stu and fix it.

He can't be a Stu, but he sure as hell can try to avoid causing any death.

And so Nagito planned. Planned about twilight syndrome. Planned about the despair disease. Planned about the fun-house. Planned about every little thing that will be thrown his away.

Nagito face-palmed when he realized he was doing it while petting a cat. 'Dear god, I really have become full on villain anyway."

But why can't he stop it at Hope's peak? Maybe when Junko becomes Ryoko he can help Matsuda. Maybe he can prevent his classmates from becoming the Ultimate Despairs. Or maybe he can become big brother Nagito to the warriors of Hope? He certainly wouldn't mind exposing the abuse thrown their way. If worse come to worse, he could just smother Junko and/or Monaca with a pillow.

He may only know about these people through a screen and dreams, but that doesn't mean he cares for them any less.

The fact that every night…no, it's best not to think about it. His memory will make sure he never forgets as it is. The bags that have permanently developed underneath his eyes was just the icing on the cake.

* * *

Nagito took out his pen and clicked it. He wrote on the paper 'I will save my classmates'.

That's a promise he needed to keep. For the sake of his future comrades. And for the sake of his slowly deteriorating mind.

If worst comes to worst, he could just be relieved it was all computer stimulation…okay that line of thought is far too dangerous to consider. Who knows how badly the minds of his classmates would be shattered.

And so Nagito waited. He studied every day. He trained his weak body as much as possible primarily focusing on his flexibility. He made maps connecting each character, using his memory to re-familiarize himself with their relationships and such.

Kuro himself was also used as well, he didn't have that much knowledge in animal training, but he could feel a special bond with Kuro and their shared cursed existence. That's why Kuro learned…and how he can follow Nagito's exact instructions. He doesn't know if Kuro will follow him into the simulation...but if Gundam could have his hamsters, why can't he have his cat.

When Nagito's middle school started handing out pamphlet stating the lottery for Hope's Peak academy, the reincarnated teen took one long look at it and sighed. He signed his consent and mailed the pamphlet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took way too long...I was just rambling and maybe I petered out a little bit towards the end, but overall I think I did a good job. I'm replaying the games and rereading the novels to get a grasp on things.
> 
> The SI comes across as a little blasé, but in all honesty, that's the type of person he is. He knows what he gotten into, and is just trying to suppress his fear for what will happen to him in the future.
> 
> The other execution came up in the art book for the game, and from my own mind.
> 
> His reaction to the disease only made him more blasé. He already died once, so he isn't as afraid of death as he should be…not to mention he's prepared for death for another reason.
> 
> Kuro: Eh…I was writing Gundam's section and when I came up with the cat, I decided why not? Someone who Nagito could talk to. A black cat would have been the perfect animal for Nagito. It's already cursed existence balances out with Nagito's!
> 
> Next chapter is 'Preparations'. We see a snapshot of him preparing for the future, while also developing his own skills.
> 
> PS: Try to figure out which students will remember Nagito.
> 
> PSS: The last nightmare and meeting will occur next chapter.
> 
> Please Read and REVIEW.


	4. Preparation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting prepared....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's go with some miscellaneous stuff as well as the SI getting some answers for what's going on with his life. I really wish people would leave a review though…Ah, well as long as people are reading.
> 
> If this took a while, it was probably because of the anime. By the time it finishes, I may have to rewrite this story a bit…especially surrounding a certain gamer chick.

**The Memory of Hope**

* * *

**Preparations**

* * *

"Nagito Komaeda." The headmaster Jin Kirigiri, a man with short brown hair in his mid-thirties, read out loud the name he plucked from the box.

"Ah yes…the arbitrary…'lucky' student…" One of the committee members stated with a roll of their eyes.

Not that it could be blamed. The lottery drawing was seen as a silly and unnecessary experiment. But every year there was one randomly-selected student to find the ultimate 'luck'. Most of the time it was just a normal student who got, as the name said, lucky. Nevertheless the fact that most of them managed to excel in their chosen field gave merit that it wasn't completely pointless.

"He's an interesting one." Kazuo Tengan, the director, noted while reading Nagito's profile. "He has proven to have an eidetic memory, and was originally planned to sign up under the moniker… 'The Ultimate Memory'."

"Makes more sense then Luck." The previous speaker noted with a roll of his eye.

"Ah, but his luck has been proven to exist." The director retorted. "Looking at the events of his life, one can certainly see luck playing a part. He played various luck-based games and came out the winner every time!"

"Pure coincidence."

"Every time!"

"In any case…he asked if he could bring his cat." Kirigiri added, interrupting their arguments. "He stated that it allows him to temper his luck."

The director waved his hands dismissively. "Let him have it." They normally wouldn't but this was also the same class with Ultimate Breeder. If it's related to their talent, they get a pass.

"Now onto the next course of action…" A student in a lab coat sporting a dark ahoge stood up with some graphs. "We have decided on a name for our project."

"The one to create the Ultimate Hope?"

"Correct. We have dictated that the name for our subject be given…'Izuru Kamukura Project' after our fair founder…"

* * *

You know what's the worst part about having a body that will literally die in a couple of years? Besides the obvious, it also makes making muscles a giant pain.

Really, I tried, but I never lost this slender body of mine, no matter how many weights I can lift, which isn't that many.

Since I got that letter from Hope's Peak, I was planning on improving my physical skill to a higher degree, but power is the one field where I don't expect to see much work.

So I ran.

I ran every single day of my life, since the day I was born, all on the off-chance something might happen.

Unfortunately, I also have limited stamina as well, so I can't run far with my endurance, which is why I'm improving my speed in the first place.

Thankfully, the fruits of constantly running have its effects. My speed wasn't Ultimate level mind you, but I can go so much farther then the average human.

Course, I lose my breath more often then not due to the aforementioned lymphoma, but it's the thought that counts.

My flexibility should also be noted as well.

My new body is very slender, and in turns, it is also quite stretchy.

I did a lot of stretching on my body, as well as working on the right equipment to help improve my body. This wasn't that much considering my current body's rather sickly state.

At most, it means I can do all sorts of weird party tricks, but who knows? Maybe it might eventually come in handy.

Will it come in handy during the simulation? I can only hope so. Hopefully my disease won't ruin it by then.

Speaking of my illness, I had to take a lot of expensive medication to lengthen my short life, but I have the finance to pay for it. Pill after pill in order to survive.

Cancer was never something I wanted to deal with in my old life, as I thought it would begin when I turned into an old man.

But to experience it when I'm now just a teenager? Yeah, I'm pretty peeved off, even if I did see it coming.

I half-wanted to sign myself up for some martial arts class, but sadly, my disease made the constant training unable for me to obtain. Shame, it might have come in handy in the near future.

All I can do is study, study long and hard about things on the off-chance it might come in handy in the near future.

Medical lessons? Sure. Basic mechanic skills? Let's go with it. Learning multiple languages? Why not?

I have more then ample time considering I don't get that much sleep. I spent a lot of time practicing using my primary skill, my memory, and learning as much as I could.

And there's also training Kuro…

* * *

"…You are a very intelligent cat…" was all I could comment on as I stared at the intact ball in my hand.

Kuro give me a look that is so vaguely smug, that only a cat could properly pull it off.

Now that I think about it, Kuro has shown to be far more coherent then a cat should be. Cats on principle are quite smart, but Kuro takes it to a downright ridiculous level.

I wasn't reincarnated as Gundam Tanaka, so I sure as hell can't see how this could've happened.

When I say jump, the cat pounces. He knows the right location on where to go on a downright ridiculous level. He can instantly identify the characters when I showed him the picture of them online.

Something was wrong with the feline, I can tell that much. I now understood how my parents feel all those years ago when they raised me. They were raising something that was far more intelligent then it had any right to be

The fact that he just so happens to share the same curse as me, as well as he just so happens to show up the day I met Gundam…

It reminds me of the time when I actually saw him for the first time. The green eyes of Kuro took on a distinct glow.

The moment I saw that glow in Kuro's eyes on that day, I knew that he was far more then meets the eye…

Well I could only shrug. If he comes in handy, he could be so smart; it might make my life a little easier.

I may be acting blasé, but I grown use to his presence…

Surely Kuro will be beneficial to me.

If Gundam's Hamsters could followed him to the VR simulator, then maybe my cat can follow me as well.

* * *

A teen with a rather plain disposition, minus his noticeably pointy ahoge, was completely purple with fear as he sat in a seat.

A black and white teddy bear clad in a formal uniform held its arms together and gave the boy in front of him a disappointed glance. It took its paw and pressed the button.

The floor beneath the teen opened up and he fell through a series of winding ducts and tunnels.

When he finally stopped, he realized he was stuck inside a giant bottle. The boys eyes realized that he was stuck on a conveyor belt with other bottles filled with fruits.

To his horror, the bottles near the end of the belt were put through an ominous looking machine. And out of the machine, the fruit was replaced with juice. The poor boys face went downright blue in shock.

Closer and closer, did the conveyor belt went.

Three bottles….two bottles…one…

The boy closed his eyes, awaiting his inevitable fate. The large juicer becoming more and more ominous with each passing bottle.

The crunch heard was one of the worst sounds one can ever hear.

An empty plastic bottle collected the juice from the funnel, which was colored a very bright red.

A label made its way onto the filled up plastic bottle. The label stated. 'Fresh Hinata Cider' full of vitamin C and plenty of water and iron.

Nagito looked at the bottle with complete and utter disgust as the bear eagerly took it and gulped it down.

* * *

Hajime Hinata gave a wistful glance at the prestigious school standing in his way.

Maybe…with the reserve course, he can attend this school once and for all…Sure his parents may have to pay a considerable amount of money, but nevertheless…

To become a member of the world's hope…how can anyone not want that?

"Nice view isn't it?"

Hajime turned to the voice. He saw a somewhat strange person. It was a tall boy his age clad in a green coat carrying a black cat. The most notable part about the boy was that his hair which was shock white.

"The prestigious Hope's Peak academy." The boy stated. "The location of various talented teen coming together and becoming the world's hope…never once realizing it also leaves others behind…"

The boy sighed dramatically… "In any case, nice to meet you. I'm Nagito Komaeda and this is my cat Kuro."

"Meow."

"Uh…I'm Hajime Hinata." The teen introduced himself. The albino seems a little strange, though he was polite enough he suppose.

But the way he talked, he can't help but notice a bit of resentment towards Hope's Peak. Many people outright worship this school, so to have someone openly state their disdain was a bit rare.

Everyone has their own opinion he suppose.

* * *

'Hello Mr. Protagonist.' Nagito noted with a smirk. He could tell who he was simply from the spiky ahoge alone.

After a bad medical attack, his formerly black hair became full on white. He admits, more then a few people thought he was cosplaying with it. His tendency to wear a large green jacket, even in summer time, didn't particularly help. Don't judge him! His endurance is not that good anymore.

"So why are you out here?" He decided to ask. "Are you a student who plans to attend here?"

Hajime winced. "Ah no…I just like coming here."

"Oh, a fan?"

"I suppose." Hajime revealed with a sigh. He gave the school a hopeful gaze and said. "I…I always like this place. I always wanted to come here one day myself. The place where the hope of the world gathers…."

The somewhat reverent look on his face bothered Nagito a lot. Most of all because of what that admiration did to the poor boy. He may as well list his opinion on the subject.

"I don't agree with this place." Nagito admitted to Hajime, much to his surprise. "This philosophy of separating the best from the rest…there's an inherently unhealthy mindset in there."

Hajime frowned, but he really couldn't disagree. He still found it in himself to retort, "But still. This is where the one that represent the people hope excel and lead us."

"And who's to decide that?" Nagito questioned. "So we just rely on the hope of a few select people? Simply because there really good at one thing? Yeah, it just sounds kinda illogical to me…"

"But it's because they're good at that talent!" Hajime argued. "Of course people expect the best from the best!"

"Talent always seems kinda stuffy to me." Nagito said with a twirl of his curly hair. "It means you are always expected to be the best in that subject, and you can hardly stretch your wings. Then again, I'm not an Ultimate myself, so how should I know?"

"You don't need to when you can succeed at what you're good at." Hajime retorted, his face actually a little contorted.

'What an interesting role reversal.' Nagito noted with a smirk. 'I'm the one who discouraged this place, but Hajime is the one who supports it…'

"Whatever. I'm attending this place myself." He decided to reveal. Kuro merely licked his palm at the revelation.

"You are?" Hajime asked in shock. "But you said you weren't really an ultimate."

"I'm not." Nagito easily answered. "I got in through because I got lucky. Remember the Hope's Peak lottery?"

"All too well…" Hajime wistfully answered.

'Probably would've entered multiple tickets if he could.' Nagito noted with an amused face. "Well you're looking at the luckster who got in."

"And you're still going? Even after you say you don't agree with it."

"Course. I may not like this place, but I sure as hell don't want to miss the sheer amount of opportunity this place will give me." Nagito logically answered. "I'll be set for life the moment I graduate" Probably shouldn't mention all the lottery he constantly wins to keep himself afloat.

"I…I see" Poor guy. Here he met the student who got in through what he thought what his only chance, and surprise surprise, he doesn't even care nor likes the place he wants to go to.

"It's not impossible." Nagito pointed out. "You can still get in through…other methods."

"You mean the Reserve Course?"

"Oh you know about it?"

"Yeah…it's the talk of the town." Hajime noted with a regretful smile. "I…I really want to take it, and get in here."

"But wouldn't that cost a lot of money?"

"I know…" He practically fainted over seeing the amount of zeroes. "But…I can't rid myself of this feeling…I need to get in this school…I don't want to be part of 'the rest' anymore."

"It's not as bad as you think it is…" Nagito pointed out, though in a whisper to himself. 'No one expects much from…'the rest'…You're free to decide your own path'

"I'll take any means to get into this place." Hajime decided, either unhearing him or he didn't listen. "I don't care if I'm in debt for the rest of my life; I am going to make it!"

It would've been awe-inspiring, the determination in his eye. Too bad, Nagito knew all too well of the problems with Hajime's ambition and longing.

"Hey Mr. Reserve Course, if you get in, know I'll be rooting for you. I'm just content living a relatively normal life." He was practically dying on the inside (Both figuratively and literally) over how much of a lie that was.

Hajime nodded with a frown. "Well…thank you I guess. I'll be sure to try." And two departed from one another.

He wanted to warn him about Izuru, really he did. But the moment he opened his mouth, he found himself unable to speak.

Once again did he feel the same feeling of darkness. The one that took away Shiro, and his parents.

The curse of being unable to prevent the evitable…will it come into play during the killing games, or the tragedy itself?

Nagito looked down at Kuro, the cat that suffered the same misfortune of luck. With his presence, the luckster managed to avoid getting into too much trouble. Or rather, they didn't interact with others enough to find out.

But what if that wasn't enough? What if he fails to save his school and the world? Who knows what will happen?

"We'll survive Kuro." Was all Nagito could say. He really wishes it was a guarantee and not a promise.

* * *

I looked at the chart I hung in my room. I analyzed it long and hard. It was a list of the motives given to us at Dangan Island, the victim and the culprit were written down, and I was wondering how I can prevent the killings on each.

Chapter One: I'm Nagito, so I won't terrify Teruteru into committing murder. That doesn't guarantee anything, but Nagito was the catalyst that started the killing. Since I'm him, I won't do anything that might motivate someone into shortening someone's life.

Chapter Two: Play the Twilight Syndrome game before anyone else, expose Peko and Fuyuhiko's relationship beforehand, or drop in on the meeting with Mahiru…None of this is guaranteed to save someone's life, but I have to try…if not I can expose Peko's ridiculous Shining Justice scheme before it can begin.

Chapter Three: Oh this is where it starts to get tricky. The Despair Disease will probably be one of the more problematic motives. Even if I can somehow get Mikan quarantined, that won't stop the disease from spreading. There might be a chance someone else will get the remember disease and kill the others. It's something I have to prepare extensively for.

Chapter Four: This is very tricky. If my memory is correct, they came to the Funhouse in order to get ship parts, which were instead for a toy and the student profiles, which revealed the truth about Hajime and the others. Yeah, trying to convince the others about not going to the Funhouse might be a little tricky, especially if everyone is still alive by then. But if just one person doesn't want to go…I'll have to make that sacrifice. And if they do get stuck in the Funhouse…then I could just give up, and be glad it was simulation.

Chapter Five: Again, I'm Nagito. So I won't kill myself for some crazy plan.

I can save everyone's lives if all goes well, which it probably won't but a man could dream.

If all else fails, I can just go write in 11037 on the gate. Simple as ABC...Why can't I do that immediately? Sure my classmates will get suspicious, but hey, if it will save their lives, they will probably forgive me.

I decided on that then!

I've done my fair share of research on all fifteen of my classmates…well I tried to. Some were trickier then others.

Hajime and the Imposter don't have any information. No one even knew that the Ultimate Imposter even exists... for obvious reasons. Fuyuhiko and in turn Peko (with the exception of her championships), have only basic information listed, with almost no written connection about their relationship. Makes sense considering they were Yakuza members.

Sonia's was in a foreign language, which I can understand, but it didn't tell me anything relevant…other then Sonia was far more then fond of serial killers then could be considered healthy…

On that note, Novoselic is a really weird place.

The rest was a bit simpler. Ibuki and Hiyoko have their own fan clubs and site listing information from interview (Though I only trusted Ibuki's considering Hiyoko did hers in her false persona) and fun fact, seeing Ibuki with a regular hairstyle was interesting.

Gundam, Mikan, and Kazuichi have their own blogs telling their line of experience be it animal care, medical tips, and/or mechanical instructions (Though learning that the former and the latter had an anonymous blog showdown cracked me up, looks like they dislike each other even before then. I admit, I found a fair bit of amusement in how the middle actually ended up in the middle of the argument, and thought the insults were directed at her…I'm a horrible person)

Teruteru and Nekomaru have their own websites as well, listing off cooking recipes, and training tips respectively…and a few disturbing details about the pleasures of the flesh for the former and the importance of the bathroom for the latter.

Christ, those two are weird.

Mahiru's photographs were all over, and seeing them up close, they are actually quite nice. They always seem to catch some sort of interesting events ranging from a strange looking squirrel with a nut, or a hound and a fox playing around.

Akane didn't have much, considering her financial status she probably never cared for technology. At most, is the praise from her mentor's blog. It also contains videos from her championships. Have to admit, it was surprising just how flexible the girl was…and I only mean that somewhat in the perverted sense.

What? Teenage hormones are a pain to deal with.

And finally...Chiaki...Yeah, I don't want to talk about it...

To be honest, it was kinda fun seeing exactly how these people are…Ultimate. And just how people actually revere them…though that itself is kinda unhealthy. As well as being the trigger that caused the Tragedy.

No I don't like calling it The Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History. It just sounds stupid, takes too long to say, and is downright nonsensical. The Tragedy is shorter, catchier, and more sensible to say for me.

Oh, I even have my own site, though it was made more out of curiosity then anything else, only really listing my basic information. More then a few people called me one of the luckiest kids alive to get into Hope's Peak.

There not exactly wrong, they just don't have any fucking clue of how bad being lucky is…speaking of, this was my third computer, I won it in a raffle after the time I broke the second one by slipping on the steps.

Have I mentioned that this guy's life completely blows? No? Well is say it again, this guy's life blows! No wonder he went nuts. I always kinda felt bad for Nagito, insane ramblings aside, but now my sympathy has become full-force empathy. No wonder he went all types of nuts when he got to the island. Junko barely had anything left to break.

Why am I still somewhat sane? Well first off, Nagito experiences his trauma when he was just a kid, since I still have my previous mind, things don't have as much as effect on me. Because if I was like Nagito and just a regular newborn, I probably would've already been driven nuts.

I have to thank Kuro, one of the few beings I can actively interact with…dear god is that sad in a lot of ways. I'm literally a crazy old cat lady in the body of a crazy young teenager.

Maybe I should find the Ultimate Therapist? Lord knows that I and most of my classmates need one…Well there's another reason Junko managed to convert the 77th classroom.

It's easy when more then half the class is certifiably nuts and/or suffering from psychological problem.

Maybe I could suggest taking a field trip to the shrink?

Only in my wildest dreams though…

Speaking of my dreams…It happened on the night before I have to go to Hope's Peak academy.

* * *

It was a familiar place. The exact location…the bank where I ended up dying all those years ago…

Bad memories...that my mind will never let me forget...

And standing in the middle of it all, was an androgynous figure covered in a cloak.

_'Greeting Nagito…or would you prefer to take the name of the unfortunate man who died here years ago.'_ The cloaked figure decided in a voice that was as androgynous as their appearance.

If I know my fanfics, there was only one person this thing could possibly be.

'Don't tell me' I started, putting my finger to my chin. 'You were the thing responsible for bringing me into this life.'

_'Is it not obvious?'_

'Oh please, mysterious being in a familiar realm…this totally has reasons for reincarnation written all over it…' I noted with a nod

I gestured around the bank. "This place also helps. It was the right place where I ended up dying."

The being laughed. _'It's true is it not? You are familiar with the story that you and many others have dealt with. I believe you will wonder why you were chosen…'_

'That would be nice.' I admitted. 'But something tells me I won't be that lucky.'

_'Ironic given the body blessed to you.'_ The figure noted. _'But not just yet. I'm here because you will start your journey tomorrow.'_

'Alrighty then…who the hell are you?'

_'My name_ _…_ _well you can call me Walker_ _…_ _'_ The figure took a shrouded hand and snapped their fingers. Appearing next to them was a screen showing fifteen moments in Nagito's life.

The moment he first met his classmates.

I give the thing a deadpan look. "You were stalking me all these years weren't you?"

"More like guiding." Walker decided. "I used your luck to my advantage, and had you meet the one who you shall be allies with."

Still stalking in my book. I took a closer look at the screen. Yup, this was definitely it. The time I helped Mikan out with some bullies, meeting Nekomaru at the hospital, when I first met Kuro and Gundam…that one caused me to blink.

I noticed something strange, other then my obvious stalker problem, about the screens. From meeting Gundam and after, I started seeing things from a sky's perspective to instead from a first-person. With the exception of guys like Nekomaru and such…

It was almost as if they were there watching themselves. But the only one during that time other then me and my classmate were…

_'I was observing you through your Black animal.'_ Walker answered my musing.

'Through my cat?!' I shouted in complete horror.

_'It's just a cat, but it shares my blessings. I can monitor you whenever, wherever through that feline._ _T_ _h_ _e other times are only when you meet your classmates_ _'_ Walker calmly explained

That…explains a lot. It explains why Kuro was a bit more intelligent then the average cat, and why he was able to train so easily.

He had a cheat code, just like me and my memories.

That doesn't me I don't feel like I had my privacy stalked!

Wait does that mean she knows about…?

_'Yes, I do. You are readjusting to your hormones; I won't hold it against you…'_

I really feel like sobbing into the dark corner right about now.

'Can I ask you a question?' I finally decided after a couple of minutes of trying to regain my dignity.

_'I can't guarantee an answer.'_

'Why couldn't I save my dog and my parents?' I finally asked the question that been bugging me since the day the events happened. 'Why did I avoid telling Hajime about what will happen to him…?'

Walker paused, crossing their arms. Their head turned to me as they walked past me as they said one thing. _'Ask me no questions and_ _I_ _shall tell you no lies.'_

Well there's a freaking cop-out answer! I couldn't stop myself from gritting my teeth as my anger over getting my answer blew over in my head.

But seriously though, I don't know what will happen when I go to the Academy. The details of how to save my classmates and prevent the tragedy is my primary concern.

How? I don't know, there are tons of ways to do it.

I'm trying to put 'Breaking Junko's Neck' on a lesser spot on my list.

But what if I feel the same thing when my parents died? That I will notice Junko manipulating my classmates, and I can do nothing to stop her from corrupting them into being twisted psychopaths.

Despair is scary when you don't see it coming, but seeing it coming and not being able to prevent it is even scarier in my book.

Will…will that happen to me as well? I'll become a twisted caricature of myself…? Knowing myself I'll probably just act like the real Nagito, but still!

Oh dear god! Will I tell Junko everything with my future knowledge? The sheer amount of things she can do with what I know…! She'll bring the classmates of the 78th classroom to even greater despair!

Oh no…the Future Foundation heads! Even the tiniest bit of information will be problematic for them.

_'…Are you done…?'_ The cause of my problem called out.

'Just panicking…' I answered with slightly gritted teeth.

_'It would be foolish of me to tell you not to worry…'_ Walker admitted. _'But I can tell you to have some faith in yourself…or rather, hope'._

'Don't start with me!' I really started hating those two words after a while, and desperately wished for a world where saying 'Hope' and 'Despair' had about as much significance as saying 'Sky' or 'Sea'.

_'Fair enough.'_

Walker slowly got up and walked their way over to me. I could see that the cloaked figure towered over me, and I couldn't help but gulp just a tiniest bit.

_'Oh I'm just here to tell you one more thing that will make your journey just the tiniest bit more convenient for you…'_ Walker said as it waved over my still peeved off face.

The voice whispered into my ears and stated. _'If you want someone to learn the truth about your existence. Make them look deep into your_ _reflection's eyes_ _as you mutter the phrase…'Listen to my Story'…Do not fret, their existence as mere fictional characters won't be installed into their heads. Think of it as a way to explain yourself as well as provide proof._ _And why the eyes? Because they are the windows to your soul_ _…_ _'_ _'_

So that was it. If I wanted to tell the truth about the whole reincarnation deal, I have to make them look into a mirror, straight at my eyes?

Weird, arbitrary, but not difficult.

_'However...those who listen to those words...will fall to the same curse as you...'_

It said that as the last thing before the dream ended. And trust me; I could use every gift that is thrown my way...even if I have to take on a few curses as well.

It may be unbelievable, but with this they have no choice but to trust what I'm saying. I'm just grateful that I don't have to mention that their fictional characters…well they no longer are to me.

They're real people…who I want to spare a horrible fate.

But…I'm starting to doubt my abilities to do so…especially when she failed to answer why I couldn't save my parents.

Maybe...if I tell them the truth...I can save their lives...yeah! I'll tell them to 'Listen to My Story!'

But the curse...I shook my head, if I tell all of them, then that means we can still avoid it all!

* * *

I stared at the imposing Hope's Peak academy with cautious eyes. Kuro purred on my shoulder giving me a knowing look and I turned to my pet. "Well buddy, here it is. The moment I step in, I'll know whether or not I succeeded or failed in stopping The biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history."

And with that, I stepped into the building. Sealing my fate for the future…

And I knew how badly I screwed up the moment I only saw a door in a gray realm.

* * *

Omake: Kuro's Day

* * *

I let out a content yawn as I scanned my surroundings. My master was currently under the care of his mentor and left me at our palace.

The servants who serve him were content to do their duties and serve me my daily dinner of high class fish.

The goddess who blessed me has no need for me for today. So I had no reason to look and such.

My master has begun training me…but he was all too happy with the fact that I possess the goddess's blessing/curse of the luck cycle.

From the very beginning of my life, I was cursed with this luck, it was when I met my master did fortune took a permanent stance on me and gave me neutrality.

After the disastrous first year of my life, I was far too grateful for it.

Another aspect of my blessing was that I could fully comprehend the way these human's think in a way that I never could before. It was…enlightening in ways that I could never imagine.

In the middle of it all, I was at the local park, fully laying around...and avoiding any humans who decided to walk my mortal enemies.

I laid eyes on a cat similar in appearance to myself. He shared the same black coat that graces my species so well.

Like me, he was a well groomed species. Unlike me, he has a bit of a girth. Clearly he has feast on too many treats in his life times, not that I blame him considering how delicious certain treats could be (I will forever curse my weakness to fish), but one must have an essence of self-control.

"My name is Grand Bois Chéri Ludenberg…" He told me as I walked my way up to him to greet myself.

"And I Magnum Kuro Peru Komaeda…"

"Really?"

"Might as well have an equally ridiculous name, don't you think?"

This caused him to huff and look away.

"I'm just here enjoying the air…" I decided to disclose, "My master has stated that sooner or later that we shall go to a certain school. So I am content on spending as much time near home before we have to leave"

"Hmph?"

"He called it Hope's Peak Academy."

"Where the human's gather their most experienced kittens?"

"That's the one." Pleased that he at least understood what was being said. "He went there under the title of the Ultimate Luck."

"My mistress has been interviewed for such a school." Bois revealed with a haughty expression. "I believe she's going under the title of Gambling."

"How is that any different from my master's title?"

"Excuse me?"

"Based on how I see it, gambling is merely a facet of luck is it not?" I pointed out while mimicking the human's putting their fingers to their chin. "So how is it any different from being the luckiest student? Seems fairly redundant"

Bois growled at my insinuation. "My mistress made millions on the black market. Only her ability to put her life on line makes her a gambler."

"Big deal. My master could probably beat her at her own game. If he was the one gambling, he would clean out the entire bank."

"That's a lie!"

"It is not!"

After out arguments over the difference of our master's abilities, we came to a standstill discussing something else.

"Humans are so foolish." Bois declared. "Only my mistress is worthy of any attention." Maybe his mistress's ego was just as over inflated as he was. That's a scary thought.

"And why is that?"

"To send mere kittens to represent their best?" He noted. "I respect my mistress, but even then I find it hard to swallow."

"My master might agree with you." I noted. He himself has expressed a disdain for his school, and most likely would've not gone were it not for his mission.

"Why on earth would they be so flawed?"

"Fool! Humans may be flawed, but that's what makes them interesting." I countered. "I rather have them then the dogs that never change!"

My fellow feline merely huffed, though he nodded on our shared disdain for all canines, shape and size.

And he jumped to prove his point…

Not realizing just how bad of an idea it was to jump on the fragile branch when you yourself are rather heavy.

"BOIS YOU FOOL!"

"NYAAAAA!" Our shared scream echoed to the day.

* * *

"Here you go little guys." The human who was kind enough to free ourselves from our fates stated in a kind voice as he delivered the heavenly fish upon us.

I saw my master waving to me, signaling where I should go. Standing next to him was a girl garbed in clothing that can only describe her as Bois's mistress.

"We shall never speak of this time ever again." Was Bois's blunt declaration. I couldn't help but agree.

I could only growl as I parted ways. Let me hope that I shall never have to deal with Grand Bois Cher Ludenburg as long as I live!

* * *

"Honestly Bois…you know you shouldn't get involved with those types of cat." A pale girl with drill-like hair and a strange accent scolded her plump feline. "You are far too sophisticated for that type of things."

"Taeko! It's time for dinner." A feminine voice called out from the rather plain looking home.

"IT'S NOT TAEKO! IT'S CELESTE!" The girl shouted, her voice dropping its previous tone.

And all Bois could do was shake his bandaged head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here it is. I wonder if I should switch POV to Hajime in the next chapter or keep it with the SI…well he needs to get his first Hope Fragments first…and we'll see who recognizes him.
> 
> The Walker is a bit of an enigmatic figure. One that I plan to utilize in the future of this story.
> 
> 'Listen to my Story'? I wrote this detail down when I realized that inevitably, the concept of reincarnation will be brought up, and I wanted to have a quick and easy way for the SI to explain because let's face it, explaining it by mouth would sound really confusing and will require a lot of backtracking, especially when you omit the whole 'You're just a fictional character' part.
> 
> Yes, I got it from 'Final Fantasy X', but only the phrase!
> 
> Honestly speaking, maybe I should let the anime play out first, and then write the story with all the new details thrown my way.


	5. Welcome to Failure Island

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you get kidnapped by a magical rabbit...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here it is…
> 
> PS: Episode 3 of the anime…just wow…I never once thought they use 'It's just ketchup' excuse…well it goes to show that even the creators will do a fake-out every now and then…oh and now I have some new details when I write the 'Twilight Syndrome' case.
> 
> As for the story…maybe an update after every Thursday? That way I can incorporate the new knowledge given by the anime.

**The Memory of Hope**

* * *

**Welcome to Failure Island**

* * *

Do you know what it feels like to utterly fail? To learn your efforts were completely in vain?

It was horrible, it was awful…all I felt was that damned word that influences this entire world's history…

This place was the virtual world…that was the only explanation for the grey realm and the solitary door. But the only reason we could be here was because…

I feel my head unable to recall something. I never once experienced this sensation before. It was proof I had my memory lost, and I couldn't stop this feeling of sadness…

…and guilt…oh god, if I was Ultimate Despair, did I…?

All this and more was what I was feeling as I saw the door in front of me.

So I couldn't do it…I couldn't stop the Tragedy…I couldn't have exposed Junko…I couldn't save my classmates from becoming Ultimate Despairs.

I couldn't save Chiaki and I couldn't save Hajime.

Now all I could do is sigh…and go in. And maybe make it up to them by helping them get through this entire island.

Maybe this was Island mode, if I was lucky.

But something tells me that this time, my luck just wouldn't hold.

* * *

Seems like I was the second to last person to arrive. Meaning the only one not here was of course, Mr. Ahoge himself, Hajime.

I took a long look at everyone gathered here. Now I could fully memorize their appearance, as if they were actual human beings as opposed to mere sprites.

It was more striking now then when they were younger. Perhaps because this time, I could compare their physical appearances to their game appearances.

Seeing characters drawn as illustration and sprites as actual human beings is certainly an interesting experience.

Teruteru's face wasn't as odd, Kazuichi and Gundam's get up was much more striking…

The girls were certainly more attractive in person that was for certain.

It was Sonia who spoke up first, giving me a small smile. "Why hello there. You are…?"

I decided to introduce myself. "My name is…Nagito Komaeda. The Ultimate Lucky Student."

I seen their faces, and I see some of them light up at the name. They were the one who remembered who I was from our meetings.

Sonia gave me a surprised look, Nekomaru suddenly started to grin, Gundam actually looked my way in sight surprise, Peko's eyes widened in shock, Ibuki gained a huge smile, and Mikan stared in me surprise.

And it was faint, but I could tell Byakuya, or the Imposter, also giving me a raised eyebrow.

And I could see Chiaki give me a small nod…wait…is she…? Probably best not to think about it right now.

As for the rest, they gave me a curious glance, and shrugged. Guess they must have forgotten who I was…or they don't remember.

"So our class is almost done." The Imposter…screw it, I'm calling him Byakuya.

"Hmm?" Sonia noted in confusion.

"Because there are sixteen seats here." I decided to help out. "And given by the numbers, it means that there are fifteen students now with my inclusion."

And I heard the door opened up behind me, and I turned around.

And there he was, barely any different from last time. Not so surprising, I only saw him a few months ago.

"And then there were sixteen." Byakuya declared.

"Huh?" Hajime asked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"There are sixteen seats." The imposter/heir bluntly answered. "And since you are the sixteenth to arrive…now that everyone is here, I can finally ask my questions?"

"Which are…?" Kazuichi decided to prod.

"When you came here, did any of you experience a sense of dizziness?"

"Now that you mention it…" Nekomaru noted.

"You're right." Peko answered.

Mikan scratched her head. "For all of us to feel that daze…"

"That's not all." I spoke up. "You have no idea how you got here right? You felt that dizziness, fainted, and woke up in front of the door."

"No matter how you look at it, it just ain't possible." Teruteru noted in confusion.

"And that's not the only issue." Nekomaru said, people turning to him in wonder. "When I tried to leave to use the crapper, I couldn't even open the door."

"Say what!?" Teruteru exclaimed in fear. He hastily brought his pudgy body to the door and started frantically pulling at it.

"It's no use is it?" Mahiru asked in slight fear.

"If I couldn't open it, what makes you think you can?" Nekomaru shouted in indignation.

"So no matter how you look at it, we are all currently locked away." Was Peko's theory.

And with the swordswoman declaration, and air of unease spread throughout the room. With more then a few nervous glance from one student to another. It didn't affect me as much considering I knew what was going on, and Chiaki was calm throughout.

"What the hell is going on?" Kazuichi asked in slight fear. "This is starting to bug me just a bit…"

"Maybe it's some sort of initiation?" I answered with a slightly oblivious tone.

"Huh?"

"You know…a ceremony for new students." I lied out of the skin of my teeth. "Maybe it's just a simple hazing from our seniors."

"That's a little extreme for a prank." Mahiru pointed out.

"But who cares!" Ibuki called out. "Ibuki's is definitely up for a prank!"

"But it isn't a prank, nor is it initiation." Rang a voice, which I could only associate with a certain stuffed rabbit

And there it was…I could almost hear her theme in the background…wait, her theme was playing in the background!

"What…the…fuck…" Was Fuyuhiko speaking up. I guess even the shock of seeing a stuffed rabbit appear out of nowhere too much for him to keep quiet about.

"Is that…a stuffed animal?" Mahiru decided to ask the obvious question.

"Indeed I am!" Monomi, wait, right now I should call her Usami, answered. "My name is Magical Girl Miracle Usami, but you can just call me Usami for short." And I could actually hear the star symbol. How does anyone do that?

"…Am I high?" I bluntly declared. "It never happened to me before, but that is literally the only explanation I can come up with at the moment."

Now that I can finally see the robot up close, I may have realized why Usami, and in turn Monokuma, unsettle people so much. While their appearances were quite cutesy, their movement was just…alien. They moved like a real-life cartoon character, and that's why it feels so…off. It was something that didn't belong in this world.

Knowing Junko, this was probably her intent.

"What does height have to do with anything?" Sonia questioned in confusion.

"I'll explain later." Mahiru answered with a freaked out expression. "But yeah, I don't think it's possible to hallucinate about the same thing."

"And I thought my skit in that hippie convo was weird." Ibuki noted with a shake of her head.

"Why is that Chihuahua talking?" Akane finally spoke up.

"It's a rabbit." Gundam growled.

"That's right!" Usami rang out. Another reason why people seem to dislike Monokuma and Usami…maybe because their voices were so syrupy, it just puts on an instinctive dislike. "A singing, dancing, bunny mascot!"

Again Junko probably did the whole sugary voice intentionally.

"It must be some sort of remote control." Fuyuhiko decided, trying to make sense of thing. "Nothing more then a toy."

"Seems pretty advanced for a toy…" Kazuichi pointed out as he scratched his face.

"That's not the issue here." Byakuya pompously pointed out. "The problem is less what that thing is, rather, it's what its saying."

"I'm not an it…' Usami looked down with teary eyes.

"Aw…you made her cry." Chiaki's dreamlike voice noted.

"Enough of this!" Byakuya exclaimed. "She knows what the hell is going on!"

Usami quickly recovered and said. "Of course I do! I'm the supervising teacher for our upcoming field trip!"

And it happened. Before anyone could speak up, Usami waved her wand with a cheer and the roof of the room started to glow purple.

"WHAT IS GOING ON!?" Teruteru shrieked in fear.

"WHY IS IT PURPLE!?" Hiyoko screamed in terror.

"WHO IS MAKING IT SHAKE?!" Kazuichi yelped out loud.

"HOW?!" Hajime could only scream out loud.

I said nothing, memorizing this experience into my psyche. I knew it was all virtual, but it was just so lifelike. Truly the efforts into making this world were strong.

And it all ended when the roof collapses around us to reveal our surroundings.

I couldn't help it, but I gaped in awe. The white sandy beaches…the beautiful sea…the shining sun. My ease made me looked at it all with a sense of wonder. It was nice to look at during the game, but it was downright breathtaking in real life.

"WWWWHHHAAAATTTT!?"

Too bad my classmates are taking it rather badly.

After the usual game of 'What the hell is going on' Usami took it upon herself to calm us down.

Too bad not answering questions only make us more frantic.

"A deserted island…" I spoke up at my cue. I mimed a shocked pose. "You don't mean to tell us to kill each other for your twisted amusement?!"

"WHAT?" Usami shrieked in fear. "I would never!"

After explaining the rules of the island, Usami raised her wand with a cheer and declared. "And now…let us our Heart-thumping-field trips begin!"

And with that, I saw Hajime swoon and faint after those words were said. Most of the others turning to him in shock.

"Yah!" Usami yelped. "Hajime!"

"You were planning on making us kill each other?" Teruteru questioned in fear.

"We're already one guy down." Akane noted.

"Actually…" Mikan stuttered. "He's still alive. He just fainted." That comment brought some sighs of relief

"Geez…what a wuss." Hiyoko sardonically commented.

"Oh…" Usami whined. "Can someone wake him up?"

"Uh…it's best to let his regain consciousness himself…" Mikan nervously pointed out.

Usami brighten up. "Well it can't be helped. Now everyone, may you please reach into your pockets."

I reached into my jacket's pocket and felt a phone-like device. I took it out and smiled at the sight of what can only be my E-handbook.

"Whoa!" Kazuichi noted in wonder. "This is pretty high-tech!"

"What is it?" Ibuki asked.

"Oh! Is this a smartphone!" Sonia asked with sparkling eyes.

Usami proceeded to explain about the Electronic Student Handbook, or the E-handbook for short.

"What are Hope Fragments?" And the rabbit explained their purpose, and the fact that we can leave once we collect them all.

"So we collect these fucking hope fragments…" Fuyuhiko drawled. "And we can get off this god damn island?"

"That is correct! Have a hope filled time everyone!" And with a flourish, she dissipated.

We all turned to Hajime, who was still out cold.

"So…" Kazuichi drawled. "Anyone wants to look over him."

"I'll do it." I volunteer. "You guys go up ahead. I'll look over Mr. Ahoge over here."

No one complained, so they left to explore the island. I caught more then a few glance backward my way.

And that left me with our still sleeping protagonist.

And Kuro wormed his way out of my sleeves, explaining the extra baggage i was feeling. I smiled down at the cat and said. "So you followed me here too buddy?"

"Meow!"

"Good. I could use your help in this situation." And Kuro nodded his head in understanding. I tried not to think too hard about the implication of Kuro being here. I was grateful for his company all the same.

Hajime was still snoozing away…yeah, this might take a while. Time to cut the knot!

I grabbed some seawater in my hand, and splashed it right over Hajime's face.

That did the trick as the ahoge boy started spluttering at the amount of water and salt thrown into his face.

"Wakey-wakey!" Yes I was being smarmy. Yes, I enjoy being smarmy. Sue me.

"Why did you throw seawater into my face?" Hajime could only deadpan as he picked himself up.

"Well you were out like a rock." I noted. "And I wanted to go on ahead. So I decided to quickly wake you up."

"You could've leaved me alone?"

"That would just be rude!"

After grumbling about waking him up being rude, Hajime took another look at his surroundings.

"Where are we?" Hajime asked out loud. "Some kind of southern island?"

"Yup." I said with a slightly cheery voice. "Ain't it pretty?"

Hajime was quiet, but given the look in his eyes, he probably didn't disagree. He turned to me in confusion. "Wait have we met before?"

"I don't know. Did we?"

"Meow." Kuro then decided to perch himself onto my shoulder. He waved at Hajime with the cat equivalent of a grin.

Hajime's eyes widened in shock as he shouted. "Wait! Nagito?"

"The one and only." I stated with a bow. "What a surprise to see you here Hajime!"

Though internally, the fact that he was here was very worrying to me. It means that Izuru happened.

When Hajime heard the ding, he fished into his pocket and brought out his E-Handbook. What happened was a scripted scene from the game where Usami gave some exposition on where they were and the same information about the hope fragments…while leaving out we can leave the island once we collect all of them. I was tempted to add that part but...eh he can figure it out on his own.

"So want to go on the patented Komaeda tour?" I asked with a huge grin. "I wish to get acquainted with our classmates, and maybe you do to!"

"I can't really disagree." Hajime admitted. His eyes light up in realization. "Wait a minute, why am I here?"

"Pardon?"

"Why am I attending Hope's Peak?" Hajime frantically pointed out.

"How should I know?" I told him, bluntly lying to my teeth. "Maybe you found yourself something that Hope's Peak considers enough of a talent to allow yourself entrance."

"But I don't remember anything like that happening?"

'Probably be for the best that you don't." I shook my head. "Well we don't remember how we got to our classrooms. Why don't you play along for now? I'll show you around and maybe you can remember your talent."

* * *

**Airport**

* * *

Our first destination was the airports. With Kuro on my shoulder and Hajime following me, we went inside the large building.

I saw our mechanic and breeder inspecting the various going on of the airport, and decided to introduce ourselves.

"Yo!" Kazuichi greeted with a toothy grin. "Name's Kazuichi Souda. 'Ultimate Mechanic'. Right at your service."

"He's the leading member on machinery." A skill Junko used to perverted level if the anime was any indication. "If it's possible, maybe he could wire up the plane."

"That's not possible." Kazuichi pointed out with a frown. "There is no engine in those planes. I can't something out of nothing you know."

"How unfortunate." I deadpan. Because really, that would be too easy…if this place wasn't virtual.

"But it's not that bad."

"How can you say that?" Hajime questioned with a frown. "We're trapped on an island by a magic rabbit!"

"I don't think anyone in real life ever said that sentence." I commented with a chuckle. "So props!"

"It's not that bad." Kazuichi insisted again after a laugh. "We don't have to do anything weird or dangerous. It says so in the school rules!"

'Oh if only you knew.' I noted as Hajime read the rules out loud. It was those rules that prevented Monokuma from straight up killing us all, so kudos.

"Aren't you being too passive?" Hajime asked. "Do you really trust Usami? Who knows what she has planned"

"Well someone's a gloomy Gus." I noted with a frown. Even if it was kinda justified, Hajime's pessimism did annoy me in the game's prologue. Course it was foreshadowing but still.

"Yeah, lighten up Hajime. Listen to…what's your name again."

"Nagito Komaeda: Ultimate Luckster."

"Right…wait, have we met before?" And Kazuichi turned to Kuro as he said that. He probably ignited some memories in the mechanic.

"Who knows?" Though we totally did.

"Probably my imagination." Nice dismissive attitude there buddy. It's envious how carefree he could be.

While Kazuichi and Hajime rambled on about the merits of the plane, I turned to see Gundam in the dark corner, his arms crossed and giving an expectant glare right at my face.

"Yes…?" I answered with a wave.

"It is interesting that our paths crossed again oh cursed ones!" Gundam said with a laugh.

"It's nice to see you too Gundam." I stated with a big smile. Kuro meowed his assent and hopped off too properly meet the Breeder.

"Ah yes." Gundam smiled down at the feline rubbing his leg. "It's nice to see Bast's embassy has grown well. You have given it the proper sacrifices I see!"

I shrugged at the remark. "It's not difficult. We share the same curse of having the world completely hating us. We got along great because of it!"

The breeder answered with an approving nod. "That is true enough. The bond you two share is truly touching, even for my demonic heart."

"What are you two talking about?" Hajime called in.

"Oh this is…"

"I am Gundam Tanaka! Demon of the ice! Spawn of angel and demon!" And after his hammy introduction, four adorable little creatures appeared out of his clothes.

"Huh?"

"You wouldn't know from the attire, but Gundam is the Ultimate Breeder." I swear to god, out of all the characters, his talent was always the biggest dissonance. At least with Fuyuhiko, he had a nice suit to complement his yakuza background into his appearance bar his cute face.

Kuro meowed. "Yeah, he's also the one that gave me Kuro. So I guess you could say this is our second meeting."

Hajime hummed at that. His eyes turned to Gundam's hamsters. Seeing this as an opportunity, the breeder began his speech.

'These are my four dark Deva's of Destruction!" And trust me; it was just a ridiculous a contrast of someone like Gundam being with four adorable little hamsters.

Kuro glanced at the Deva's with a long harsh look. I grimaced. Based on my memory, the last time he had the look was when he saw the neighborhood's mice…Oh dear. I was too late...and the feline pounced!

"NO MY DEVA'S!"

"KURO GET BACK HERE!"

"Huh?" Kazuichi intoned before the hamsters jumped and found their way into his jumpsuit. He started shaking and laughing as the hamsters scurried their way around his jumpsuit. He ended up not feeling it for long though...

"GYAH!"

Because the mechanic shrieked as an unlucky cat pounced on him with fully erected claws.

And this entire fiasco ended with the Ultimate Mechanic getting mauled by a cat while having a lot of hamsters trapped in his jumpsuit.

The Ultimate Luckster, Breeder, and completely innocent Ahoge were forced into this when he ran straight into them.

* * *

**RocketPunch Market**

* * *

"That was certainly an experience." I commented cheerfully as me, Kuro, and Hajime entered the door to the supermarket. Hajime said nothing, as his eyes twitched just a wee bit dangerously.

And exactly as schedule, were Ms. Freak-out and Ms. Freaky Music looking around the supermarket. The two girls turned to us in surprise. Ibuki grinned and immediately ran up to us.

"Well hello there my good man!"

"Hey Ibuki." I stated with a wave and a smile.

"Hey there Nagito." Ibuki noted with a grin. "Fancy seeing you again!"

"I'm surprised you even remember!"

Ibuki did her pointy nose pose and says. "Don't doubt Ibuki's promises! She promises to remember, and so she remembers!" Her eyes landed on Hajime. She hummed and said. "So who's your friend? Names Ibuki Mioda: Ultimate Musician!"

"I'm Hajime Hinata…"

"Ultimate Amnesic!" I added.

"Really?" Ibuki exclaimed in shock. "Wow! Does that mean you're forgetting this conversation as we speak? Do you keep a notebook around just to remember your name!?"

"Constant amnesia is rather bad." Mikan noted, coming into the conversation after nervously looking about. "It can have a very damaging effect on your life. You constantly forget where you're going and such…"

"Hold on a minute-"

"YAH!" She shrieked. "I'm sorry for butting in! P-please forgive me!" The girl started sobbing as a response. God that women may be an expert on physical health, but she really needed someone to help her with mental constitution.

"It's alright…" I stated with an easy smile. "We could certainly use the Ultimate Nurse to diagnose Hajime's condition!"

"Is he going to live doc!?" Ibuki pleaded with teary eyes, either taking it seriously, or playing along. Hard to tell with that girl.

"O-of course!" Mikan insisted after calming down somewhat. "As long as he had the proper meds and condition, he can live a nice life."

"Would you people wait!" Hajime shouted, clearly flushed by the misdirected diagnosis. Of course, as usual, that set off Mikan's easily flustered nature.

"I-I'm sorry!" Mikan sobbed in response.

Ibuki tsked "Come on Hajime. Even if you can't remember, that is no reason to make the girl cry!"

"I can remember!" Hajime insisted, trying to get the conversation back on track. "I don't have any type of amnesia!"

"That makes it even worse!" Ibuki howled. "If you can remember, why did you make the girl cry!?"

Hajime was stuttering to think of a proper response to that. I could only shake my head in amusement and declared "Apologize to Mikan, Hajime. She's the Ultimate Nurse, and if you get stuck with a disease, she might not heal you out of spite!"

"Don't joke about that!"

That actually got a chuckle out of Mikan. But her eyes widened in horror as she exclaimed. "Sorry for laughing w-without permission! I was just too excited to make friends…Oh we're not friends yet! I-I'm sorry!"

"Of course we're friends!" I happily disagreed. A little on the kooky side, but hey, that applies to everybody here.

Ibuki nodded in agreement. "Ibuki's always happy for a new buddy! She considers everyone here her friends, even this amnesiac jerk!"

"But…Oh forget it. I'm sorry. Yes, I would like to be your friend." The poor guy looks so defeated. I feel bad if it wasn't so funny.

I'm a horrible person.

"T-thank you." Mikan said, her face finally cheering up.

I finally noticed something was amiss when I realized that I lacked any sort of extra weight. "Has anyone seen my cat?"

I heard a crashing noise and saw the feline had bought down the entire yarn collection. It lay there tangled in the fabric, as it wriggled around happily.

"How cute!" Ibuki cheered. Mikan's face shows she agrees.

"That thing is practically a force of disaster." Hajime deadpanned. I couldn't help but agree. It takes one to know one after all.

Before me and Hajime left, after being forced by Usami to clean up the mess, I heard Mikan quietly call out to me while Ibuki continued to test Hajime's fake amnesia problem.

"How many fingers did Ibuki hold back at the classroom?"

"No one can remember that!" (I can. It's a trick question. She held up the entire fist…or that's her way of saying her entire fingers…once again, hard to tell with that girl)

"Uh…Nagito." She said while shuffling nervously

"Yes?"

"H-have we met before?" She finally asked.

I paused. It was so long ago. She was the first one I ever met. By all account she shouldn't even remember. I could remember because of my memorization skill, but her…

"Have we?"

"I-I remember. Someone helping me out when I was young." She listed off. "He had your name…but your hair…"

I could only shrug. "I'll tell you about it later. Right now I have to introduce Hajime to the rest of the class."

"If…if you say so." She stated with a small smile. "It was nice seeing you here again…still being friendly"

"Nice to see you again too Mikan." I stated. She really did have a nice smile…if only I could dissociate with the face she held when talking about Junko.

* * *

**Ranch**

* * *

"They were certainly…" Hajime tried to find the right word to describe the experience with Ibuki and Mikan.

"'Overwhelming'?" I helped out.

He glared at me. "What was that about 'Ultimate Amnesiac'?" Ooh, he was still sore about that.

I shrugged. "It was a joke. I didn't expect it to be taken that far."

"You find it amusing didn't you?"

"I refuse to answer?

"Missing some cows..." And that got me a weird look from Hajime. Just playing along with the script...and there she was!

Seeing the magic trick of seeing a chicken turn into a cow was...an interesting experience. I swear to god, Hajime's face fell so hard.

Usami turned to us with an expectant gaze.

"What do you think?"

I hastily placed Kuro inside my jacket. "Don't touch my cat with that freaky wand of yours!"

Usami shrieked in fear, tears in her eyes at the very idea. "Of course not! Interrupting with our own clients pets is a big no-no!"

Hajime opened his mouth, most likely to question the lack of logic of what just occurred. Not seeing the point, I quickly cut him off.

"It was just a magic trick." I insisted. "There's probably some sort of trapdoor around here or something."

But yeah, once you figure out it's all virtual, the clues they handed out became kinda obvious.

"If you say so." But he clearly wasn't convinced. Hey, not my current problem.

"Squish! Squish!"

That on the other hand…

"Who is that?" Hajime decided to ask at the sight of a little girl clad in a kimono stomping on some unknown material.

"Oh, that's Hiyoko Saionji." I answered with a frown. "She's the Ultimate Traditional Dancer. She's a rising star in the dancing field, and she has a large fanbase."

"Excuse me?"

"Mainly of the older male variety."

'Lolicon?' Hajime whispered.

"Oh yeah…"

Kuro made his way deeper into my jacket. Hide my feline companion from the little she-devil!

And standing by the fence was a certain tanned girl giving the newly created cow a much more rabid look then was necessary.

"Oh, and that's Akane Owari." I stated for Hajime's convenience. "She's the Ultimate Gymnast."

"Why don't you introduce yourself to Hiyoko? I want to talk to Akane?"

"Why's that?"

"I prefer the supermodel over the loli any day of the week." I answered with a straight face. The deadpan look he gave me shows he was completely unamused.

Or rather, I take the moron over the jerk.

"Who are you again?" Was predictably her first question.

I sighed. "I'm Nagito Komaeda. We met back at the classroom and at the beach…"

"I'm not good with names…"

Akane Owari shrugged, doing interesting things to her…assets. It was somewhat distracting in the game, but it was downright in-your-face when it is real life. Seriously, it's huge!

"So whattaya want?"

"Oh nothing." I answered. "I rather would talk to you as opposed to Hiyoko…"

"Huh?"

"She's a blasted little she-devil" Okay maybe that was a little harsh…

"Huh, but why wouldn't you want to squish ants? It's fun to see them running in fear!"

…Or maybe not.

"All she called me was a big-boob idiot."

'That's still an insult woman…'

"So…? It's true isn't it?"

"What about you big bro?" Hiyoko asked me with a twisted cheer as Hajime hastily made his way toward me. "Would you want to squish some ants?"

"Ants have souls too you know!" I called out, deciding enough was enough and dragging Hajime out. He gave a slight wave to Akane as we made our way out of the ranch.

* * *

**Jabberwock Park**

* * *

"Seriously, how did she do that?" Hajime continued to insist on Usami's magic trick as I decided to take him to the central island. I was saving the hotel for last. It's where the most people were gathered…and I really wanted to see a certain girl last…

"Hajime, she's a walking, talking stuffed toy. I don't logic really applies here." Again, the virtual setting was obvious in retrospect.

"But why?"

"Dude, don't ask me questions that I shouldn't answer…" I mean, I _could_ answer, but I can't really do that without arousing even more questions that will take way to long to properly explain.

"What is this place?" The unknown student looking on with a nervous expression at the twisted statue before us.

I guided my hand to the confusing statue and declared. "This very structure is the symbol of the island!"

"The statue is a symbol?"

"Yeah, of how screwed up this island is!" Because really, how could one not see it?

"I can't disagree." Hajime admitted with a sigh,

"Neither can I" A new voice agreed as he made his way over to us. Byakuya Togami…Or unbeknownst to everyone except me, Chiaki, and Usami: the Ultimate Imposter.

You know, if I didn't know that Byakuya from the first game, I would've thought the Ultimate Imposter to be the real deal. He certainly pulls off the haughty rich boy air quite well.

After Byakuya held his conversation with Hajime, while being frustrated by his lack of knowledge on his talent, he told us to go on our way.

As I looked back, I saw the Imposter giving me a piercing look. He saw my gaze and quickly turned around.

It was just a hunch, but chances are, he probably remembers meeting me. The way that he glanced at Kuro only confirms it.

Guess he still hasn't found his sense of self yet. He could never be Byakuya…he's too nice for that role…Ah well…hopefully he'll recover by the end of the school trip.

He was but one lunatic who desperately needed some therapy.

"You know, he was a lot different then what I was expecting." I 'admitted' to Hajime.

"What did you expect?"

"I expected him to be a lot thinner in all honesty."

"Goes to show you can't accurately predict everything…"

Oh sweet Hajime, you have no god damn idea…

* * *

**Hotel**

* * *

"If this place is where we're staying, maybe getting kidnapped isn't so bad!" I cheerfully commented at the sight before me.

And believe me, it was stunning. The cabins, the pool, the lounge...even that old rickety lodge was quite stunning. If I didn't know the circumstances I would'be been very content on living here.

"You have a disturbingly optimistic view of this entire situation…" Hajime noted with a bit of a frown.

"And you're a pessimist! Relax my good man! Enjoy the lemons that life gives you." I bluntly pointed out. Though given how the script goes, his pessimism becomes justified. Who knows? Maybe Izuru is openly expressing his disdain through his residue left behind in Hajime's brain.

"Besides, comfy cabins or dark and gloomy prison cells?"

"At least the latter would make more sense…"

I frowned at that. "That comment deserves a time-out! Go to your room!"

Hajime rewarded me with a deadpan glare. I rolled my eyes and pointed at his cabin. Giving it a cursory glance, he slowly walked towards it.

There were three people gathered around the pool. While Hajime went off to explore the cabins (I.E. Grounded), I walked up the one waving at me.

"It's been a while, hasn't it Nagito?" Nekomaru questioned with cracking fists.

I lit up at the comment and turned to the man. "Yeah it has! I'm just happy you still remember me!"

"Of course!" Nekomaru roared. "I, NEKOMARU NIDAI, COULD NEVER FORGET THE DAY HE DECIDED HIS FATE!"

In other words, he can't forget the day where became the Ultimate Coach, but also the day he learned his expiration date.

"Good thing too." Actually seeing his new body, and comparing it to his old…wow, no wonder he adjusted to being a robot so quickly. He adapted to new body types before.

He gave me a careful look over, and frowned. "I wish you kept yourself in better shape though…"

I sheepishly rub the back of my head. "Hey, I tried! I'm in pretty good shape. I just have bad stamina…"

"Hmm…You have a point…" He stated. Looking approvingly at the few muscles I managed to develop. He punched his palm. "But don't worry, I can improve it!"

I know the training that he will suggest. My inner laziness tries to come up with an excuse, but that will only aggravate the man more.

"Hey maybe you can help out my new friend Hajime?" I suggested, throwing my buddy under the bus. Hey! He has to deal with Nekomaru's brand of crazy sooner or later.

"Hmm…That's not a bad idea. The way he fainted suggested a bad constitution."

'Actually, that's just a side effect of having the worst brain cleansing.' It wasn't confirmed in the game, but that's my theory on it.

"If all else fails, I will do 'it'!"

"'it'?" I questioned in mock confusion.

He cracked his knuckles and declared. "Once you experience 'it', you'll never live without it again!"

'Oh god, the innuendos write themselves…' I sardonically noted. I noticed Kuro pointing a claw at the other side of the pool. Me and Nekomaru stared at the feline in confusion and turned to where he was pointing to find a sight.

"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING DUMBASS!" Yelled the harsh voice of who could only be one short teen.

"Huh?"

Ooh…poor Hajime. He came face to face with our own loveable gangster Fuyuhiko. Course the lovable part didn't come until the second trial…but never mind, Hajime needed to be warned.

"Sorry about my friend here." I hastily walked up to the two. Seems like Hajime accidentally bumped into the gangster and way paying for his mistakes by a yell-down. "He's a bit disorientated right now."

Fuyuhiko rolled his eyes and huffed. "Whatever…just don't get in my fucking way!"

"Hajime this is Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu…yes." I interrupted before he opened his mouth. " _That_ Kuzuryu…as in the famous yakuza family. He's here under the title of the Ultimate Yakuza" I swear to god, did Hajime's face lost a lot of blood.

"I didn't notice him!" Hajime revealed. "I didn't see in front of…me…"

Oh dear, Fuyuhiko turned an unhealthy shade of red. I quickly worked my mouth and came up with one of my favorite methods: confusion!

"I understand your aggravation Mr. Kuzuryu." I intoned with a careful diction. "You disdain your appearance…"

He gave me a downright cold glare and said. "And what about my appearance…?"

"It's such an obvious part of your physical build…" I continued, seemingly oblivious to Fuyuhiko's anger, Hajime's anger, and Nekomaru's panic…

"What?" The yakuza growled, face red. "Say it! I dare you...!"

"Having a shaved head!" I decided to answer with my finger on my chin.

"I-I…what?" His rage replaced with confusion.

"I understand of course. The Yakuza life must be very rigorous." I continued on with Kuro mimicking my pose. "Having to control a bunch of criminals is quite dangerous and requires tons of discipline. You must set a straight example for your gang members…"

"That's not…what are you…? Of fucking forget it!" The yakuza walked away with a huff. "And tell you're mentally challenged friend not to trip me again if he knows what's good for him!"

"Don't comment on his cuteness or his height." I bluntly told Hajime. "It gives you much less grief."

"Duly noted…"

"That was reckless you know…" Mahiru commented with a slight frown, no doubt watching the previous scene. I didn't see you rushing over to help.

I shrugged. "Eh…just confuse people and they're unlikely to strike back. It works in both gaming and in real life…"

"And you!" Mahiru turned to Hajime. The poor guy can barely comprehend before she started complaining. "You really need to stop getting yourself into situation. A guy shouldn't be so fragile!"

"Thank you madam." I stated sardonically. "And while you're at it, would you like me to open the door for you? How about you stay in the kitchen while I go hunting with our fellow men…" Okay I may get a little offended when I hear her talk like that. Gender bias and stereotyping goes both ways you know!

"…You're mocking me aren't you?" My deadpan glare was all the answer that she needed. The girl turned her nose and fully introduced herself as Mahiru Koizumi: Ultimate Photographer.

I saw Mahiru suddenly taking a photo. She flushed and said. "Well I liked the weird and cute image of your cat popping out of your jacket."

I shrugged. "He does that have effect on people."

Mahiru flushed and scratched her cheeks. "Sorry, you may think it's a little weird taking your photo without your permission…"

I'm sorry, but after she said that, I couldn't stop myself from busting my guts. Both Hajime and Mahiru stared at me in a combination of worry and apprehension.

"Lady…" I stated after I was done laughing. "You are probably tied with Hajime as being the most normal person here…the only reason you're any weirder is that Hajime doesn't remember his talent…which is weird in it's own sense, so I guess you can qualify as the plain duo"

Now that I think about it, Mahiru was rather normal all things considered. She didn't have any obvious quirk. Her talent wasn't particularly…out there. Heck the only think striking about her appearance was her expensive camera and very crimson hair.

Needless to say, the 'Plain' duo did not take their newly christened name that well.

Mahiru glared at me and exclaimed. "Conversations like that don't really motivate me to collect your hope fragments."

"Please…you know you don't have a choice."

She gripped her camera straps but nodded her reluctant assent. "I suppose you're right. It's the only way off this island after all…"

"Hold on for a minute!" Hajime insisted, taken aback by this new knowledge. "What was that about collecting the Hope Fragments?"

"Oh, you didn't know?" I stated with a faux-shock expression. "If we collect all the Hope Fragments, Usami will let us go back home!"

Hajime turned to me with an indignant expression. "And you never mentioned this before because…?"

"I could make up a random reason…" I admitted. "But in all honesty, I thought it be funny."

"All of my hate."

"Love you too bro."

"You should really ask questions!" Mahiru insisted. "You never know when things can go wrong"

"I was unconscious…"

"That doesn't add any points to your reliability."

"She got you there…"

"You're not that reliable either you know!"

"I'm content with that!" Kuro meowing his assent to that.

And with that, our conversation was over.

Oh yeah, I still had one more person here to introduce Hajime to. It would be easier without all the dirty looks he was giving me.

Nekomaru meanwhile, took it upon himself to save me by fully introducing himself to Hajime.

And increasing his aggravation even more once he learned that I 'Volunteered' him for training with Nekomaru.

* * *

**Kitchen**

* * *

"So Hajime…are you hungry?"

"Is this another one of your trick?"

"Don't be like that!" I insisted. Okay so maybe keeping quiet about the Hope Fragments was a bit of a dick move, but in my defense, he was going to find out sooner or later.

"How could I think about eating in a time like this?"

"I reiterate, you are a pessimist!"

Hajime sighed, but eventually nodded. "Yes, I would like something to eat."

"Lucky for us, we have the Ultimate Cook here!" And the unlucky part being is that he is an incorrigible pervert.

And we walked in on the conversation that our little peeper was having with our fair princess.

"He's asking you to suck his penis." I decided to deadpan. Hajime turned to me with disgust at my blatant statement.

Sonia gasped, turned to Teruteru, and struck him straight across the face. It wasn't that much of a punishment considering the love-struck expression on his head.

I gestured to the two for the sake of my currently gaping friend. "Hajime, these two are Teruteru Hanamura: The Ultimate Cook…"

"…Ultimate Chef!"

"Whatever. And this is her majesty: Sonia Nevermind, the Ultimate Princess." Don't really know how that last one is a talent, all things considered. But hey, this is a girl who can speak thirty languages, so maybe there's more then just status involved with her.

I could see him mesmerized by Sonia's appearance, I don't mind, she really is a true example of royal beauty…hopefully he won't reach Kazuichi levels with it though.

The princess gave a close look to my face, and her eyes sparkled in realization at the sight of Kuro. "Wait! I recognize that cat…and you as well."

**"It's been a while, hasn't it princess Nevermind..."** I started in Novoselican.

Sonia gasped as she realized who I was. **"Komaeda, is that you?"**

**"In the flesh, your majesty."**

Teruteru and Hajime stared at the two of us, completely lost by our speaking of foreign languages.

"Wait, you two met before?"

"How could I ever forget?" Sonia exclaimed, her eyes sparkling heavily. "That day was so exciting; my country turned it into a hit movie!"

I scratched my head. "So that's where those royalties from Novoselic came from!"

Hajime just gave me a deadpan glare and quietly asked. "What are you?"

"I'm Nagito Komaeda: The Ultimate Lucky Student!"

* * *

**Lounge**

* * *

After departing from the two (With Sonia asking to hold on to Kuro just a little longer, the fact that Teruteru was cooking up some fish dishes only motivated my feline to stay) we headed downstairs to meet the last of our classmates.

There she is…pinkish hair, cat hoodie, snot bubble…some things never change with that girl.

"Hajime, this is Peko Pekoyama."

Wrong girl, but I rather be introduced to her first before I personally introduce ourselves to that girl again.

"Hello." Peko greeted, curt as always. "It is an honor to me you two…"

"Uh…hi?"

"Peko here is the Ultimate Swordswoman." I exposition to the clueless boy. "She may look cute, but trust me; she's capable of plenty with sword of hers…" Hajime took one look at her permanent glare and nodded his consent.

Kuro made his way downstairs, most likely escaping Sonia and eating his fill, and made his way over to our introduction.

Peko looked down at Kuro, her fingers twitching just a bit. Oh yeah, she likes small animal, especially those of the fuzzy variety. Kuro wasn't exactly 'Fuzzy' per se, but I think she got to the point where she probably doesn't care.

"Would you like to pet him?"

"Can I?" She flushed at how hasty she was about it. "I-I mean…if that's alright with you…most animals seem to not like me"

'Not hard to see why…' Seeing her piercing gaze was much more intimidating in person, and I could definitely see why small animals have an allergic reaction to it.

Good thing Kuro isn't like most animals.

The feline went to work and slowly made his way towards the swordswoman legs. He purred and rubbed himself against the stoic's girl leg. Peko's face downright flushed as she went down on her knees. She nervously scratched behind Kuro's ear. The cat purred its content, causing her face to take on a shade of red.

"Oh my god…" Hajime commented with a blush at the cut scene. "This is strangely adorable…"

"The fabled Gap-Moe." I declared. "Enough to make even the most hardened man squeal."

"I know…" A dreamy voice added. "That cat has a way of doing that."

And with that voice out of the way, Kuro jumped out of Peko's arm and made his way over to the speaker.

Peko raised her head in alarm, most likely thinking that she scared Kuro away. That wasn't it though…Kuro saw her. He most likely realized that she allowed herself to wake up.

The girl brushed her dazed eyes to give us an apathetic look. But her face brightened considerably once she saw the cat snuggling against her leg.

I gave a long look at the girl…who I most likely failed to save…my friend…. "Chiaki…hey, it's been a while since I seen you face-to-face, hasn't it?"

Chiaki only gave me a small smile and said. "It's good to see you again Nagito…this time in person."

I nodded. "Kuro missed you. It's fun to see you again. I have to thank my luck we're in the same class…"

"You two know each other?"

"Correct." Chiaki answered. "He's one of my constant internet buddies. We did a lot of tournaments together."

Remember how I said I developed a gaming habit? Well since I could never make many friends due to both my horrible luck and my older mind, I spent plenty of times playing video games. It was easy to become the best with the lot of time on my hand, (And the ability to memorize all the combos and cheat code certainly helps a lot)

That's how I managed to connect myself to one Chiaki Nanami…and how I became one of her gaming allies, especially in games of chance and other related areas.

"This is Chiaki Nanami." I finally stated. "This girl here is the Ultimate Gamer. She's the wiz of video games, but your already knew that."

"I-I see…" Hajime stated with a flush. While I caught him giving each of the previous girls we met a slight look over, he seems to be paying extra attention to Chiaki. Probably reminiscing about that day…when they met each other in our lost memories…or just checking her out the normal way.

Eh…I ship it. I certainly wouldn't ship myself with Hajime all things considered…or maybe I can wig him out with a few flirtatious lines…yeah! Let's do that.

"So, Peko…" I drawled out to the swordswoman while the two have their moments. "How is your friend doing?"

"Excuse me?" Peko questioned neutrally, though I can tell she was a bit surprised that I remembered. Then again, even with a good memory, the day I fought a gorilla might be hard to forget.

"Remember the day we got tangled with the zoo animals?"

Peko gave a small smile. "It's quite hard to forget that eventful day…as for my friend…he's doing fine."

I nodded in fake belief. "That's good to know. I was hoping to see him again…what was his name again?"

"Aki." She stated almost immediately.

'Really Peko?' I deadpanned in my head. "He's not here?"

"The chances of getting into Hope's Peak are quite high." Peko stated neutrally. "I was honored to be attending here as the Ultimate Swordswomen. My friend on the other hand is content with his current situation."

"You keep in touch?"

"Of course. But that's irrelevant." Peko stated with finality. Though all things considered it wasn't as strong as it should be. Yeah, best not to press on the issue. But if things take a turn for the worse, I might have to speak up.

Yeah, if it was Island mode, I would've just kept quiet, but in this scenario, it's best to just get the truth out.

No one knowing the truth is what helped kill Mahiru after all.

"Thank you for your time ladies." I decided dragging Hajime by the arm. Peko and Chiaki gave a small deadpan glance as I swept away the protesting reserve course student. "But I still have more to show Hajime around."

"Stay safe…" Chiaki called out. Peko nodded in slight agreement.

* * *

"Nagito?"

"Yes?"

Hajime paused, most likely trying to find the proper way to ask the question. "Exactly how many of the classmates do you know?" Ah, so he noticed. Well good for him! That observant skill of his does come in handy quite often.

"All of them of course! Just do some research online and…"

"Not that!" Hajime frowned as he pondered the meetings. "Ibuki and Mikan mentioned meeting you before, so did Gundam saying he gave you your cat. You were friends with Nekomaru and Chiaki. And apparently have met Sonia and Peko before…heck, I could be counted considering we also met before."

I smiled at him. "Very observant of you, my friend. You think I got into Hope's peak out of an abstract reason, right?"

"Yeah, you just got lucky with the lottery…"

"Wrong!...well at least in regards to me." I spread my arms wide. "From the day I was born, I was given a high amount of luck. Lottery, raffles, games…any dependence on luck, and I win them all."

Hajime looked skeptical. I wagged a finger and continued. "Oh don't give me that look. It helped me met every single one of my future classmates. The ones who talked to me are simply the ones who remember our meetings!"

"And you remember them all?"

I give my best smile. "Trust me…I have a good memory. That alongside my luck is the gift I was given"

"That seems kinda tame…"

"You don't realize that being lucky isn't just an abundance of good luck…but also bad luck as well…and don't underestimate a good memory"

"What do you mean?"

"That's too depressing a story to tell right now." I decided. "Maybe later, but as for now, let us enjoy the day."

Our notebook ring, showing we already got a second Hope fragments.

The monitor started to ring, signaling the next step of the day…the final moment of peace before things turn to shit.

Usami appeared on the TV screen with her cheerful declaration. "Congratulations everyone! It appears that everyone has finished collecting the Hope Fragments! I'm…sniff…so happy...Soooo…I've prepared a present for everyone that'll make you all verrryy happy! I apologize for the trouble, but please gather at the beach! Tee hee hee! May shining hope be with you all!"

"Well you heard the lady…bunny…magical girl…she says to gather at the beach!"

"You sure that's a good idea?"

"Hey! You're the one who's paranoid about getting kidnapped. That means you won't do anything stupid like ignoring our captors demands!"

"I…oh alright…"

* * *

**Beach**

* * *

Something isn't right…why am I the only who whose questioning this? As me, Nagito, and Kuro made our way to the others gathered at the beach.

I admit, when I realized that I was a student at Hope's peak, I couldn't suppress my twinge of joy. I got into this school…that meant I had a talent. That meant I was worth something…

But even so, we were kidnapped. But what I couldn't stand the most was how everyone treated our abduction.

Everyone was just so…easygoing about it! They're treating the fact that we got kidnapped without much merit.

Is this something only those with talents understand? Or is Nagito correct in calling me a pessimist. Now that I think about it, a tropical island is a nice place to be. The fact that we're here meant that a lot of us were alright with our accommodations. If this was a prison, more people would start complaining.

Maybe it really is just me…in any case, the two of us finally managed to reach the beach.

I came across the rest of our classmates there, most likely waiting for us to arrive. Our teacher/kidnapper was nowhere to be found.

"You two are the last one here…" Byakuya greeted with a frown.

Nagito shrugged. "I had to help Hajime out. You know how he is." Yeah, if helping means messing with me at every last opportunity! I'm still bitter about the whole 'Hope Fragment' misinformation.

"Hmm." Ibuki agreed with a nod. "Someone who suffers from short-term memory loss can be like that."

"For the last time! I don't have any amnesiac disorders!" For god's sake, when will that misunderstanding end?! That's another thing I'm still bitter about.

"What?"

"Ignore it. Inside joke. Continue on." Nagito opinioned.

The others explained exactly what's going on with the island and such. The beautiful beaches to the blocked bridges…Until Byakuya asked. "So you failed to notice the important part…Not that I expected much from you." I know being an heir means being better, but he doesn't have to be so rude about it.

"Well what is it if you know so much?" Mahiru demanded with an irritated visage.

"The name of the island…"

"Oh, I know this one…" Nagito interrupted. "This island…a tropical paradise with a central island surrounded by five close ones…"

"Well what's it name?" Fuyuhiko demanded.

"Jabberwock Island." Nagito answered with a pondering expression. This sparked conversation amongst our allies, stopping when Byakuya spoke up.

"Nice to see one of you is well informed." Byakuya answered somewhat approvingly. "But to see Jabberwock island…no never mind…"

"It really isn't that relevant" Nagito defended. Is he serious right now? C'mon Nagito, every last bit of information counts!

"Aren't you the tiniest bit concerned?" I frantically asked finally showing some panic in my voice.

Nagito merely shrugged. "Eh…could be worse. The view is nice, the atmosphere is friendly, the people are alright…I could certainly of far worse places I rather be."

This caused a chorus of assent from our classmates.

"He's not exactly wrong." Mikan pointed out.

"This island is the perfect place for me to foster my power." Gundam decided with an evil chuckle.

"My smile buddy is right!" Ibuki cheered. "This place is great!"

Kazuichi gave thumbs up. "I'm all up for it!"

"Plus we can leave once we collect the Hope Fragments." Chiaki reminded.

"Do you really believe that?" I asked with a questioning glare at Usami.

"Of course!" Usami insisted, cowering somewhat. "I could never break my promise like that! No way, no how!"

After an entire skit with the Usami straps (I saw Nagito kept one in his pocket. Guess he's a sucker for sympathy) Usami revealed she has a motive.

"I knew it! You are trying to make us kill each other!" Nagito yelled out loud. But after spending some time with him, I knew it was his way of messing around with others.

I could only sigh.

"Of course not!" Usami squealed in fright. "A motive to have friends and play! Like some swimsuits!"

You think people would be nervous right? You would be wrong.

"Swimsuits! Sign me up!" Ibuki cheered with multiple people giving their assents, Nagito included.

"Hajime if you want my advice." Nagito called out to me with a small smile when the others ignored my protest. "I recommend doing this. Having a bit of fun. Because you never know when it all goes straight to hell…"

I frowned at that. "You say that as if you know something is going to go wrong…"

"Just my life experience talking…so what do you say? Surely you want to see some of these girls in a swimsuit!"

I couldn't help but flush at the comment; unfortunately, neither can I properly refute him.

Am I really being a Gloomy Gus? Should I stop worrying and just have some fun with the others? Like he said, our circumstances can certainly be worse. And the water does look rather inviting…

I closed my eyes in deep though, sighed, and said. "Well if you insist…"

"Really? Because I was hoping you take care of Kuro…"

"We're going to the beach!" I hastily demanded. I don't want to deal with that cat again after the yarn incident.

"Well if you insist!"

Wait a minute…he made me confirm it!

* * *

Well at least he'll have the tiniest bit of fun! I couldn't help but laugh as I saw Hajime ran alongside the beach with an honest to god smile on his face.

I knew it would make his reaction to Monokuma even more of a wake-up call but I decided to let him have some good memories before everything turns to shit.

Honestly, I was just hoping that maybe, just maybe, it would be island mode. Yeah, fat chance of that, but let a man dream.

I never had much passion for swimming, especially in the sea, but it is nice to wade in the water and walk.

Kuro was hunched up behind the snoozing Chiaki, no doubt his natural fear not wanting to get anyone near the sea.

"So anyone up for some prime suntan lotion?" Teruteru called out with his trademark perverse face. As before, the only one showing any interest was Nekomaru.

Peko was out swimming quite fast. Ibuki and Kazuichi were running (Read: Walking) through the water. Gundam was out building castles. Mahiru, Mikan, and Sonia were content on wading through the beach.

While Hajime was also running with Ibuki and Kazuichi, I was content on walking through the sand and waving water.

"Oh the school trip to the beach!" Mikan complained as she tripped over what seemed to be a crab, and landed face-first into the dirt,

I saw the wonderful sight of her laying on the ground, her shapely rear hung in the air. I may be no Teruteru, but I'm not the type of guy who can say he won't look.

"It's okay…" Mikan murmured. "The sand is quite soft here…"

"That's nice Mikan…" It just accentuated it so well, her swimsuit that is.

"Why are you…? EEK!" Her face a furious blush, as she hastily picked herself up.

"What?" I defended. "You have a nice posterior! I couldn't help but look."

The girl was flushing at the perverted remark/praise. I could Mahiru giving be a slight death glare. Hey I did it because it was funny…and also because it was nicer to look at in real life then it is in a game…that's going to be a common statement won't it?

Hey! I spent literally seventeen (Technically nineteen) years without getting any. Not to mention my lack of a romantic life in my old one, not to mention having to readjust to all these goddamn hormones! Cut me some slack.

Wait does that put me in my forties…? I try too hard not to think about it.

But all in all, it was a good fun day. The five students who weren't in the water were content on the beach, and even they looked like they were somewhat enjoying themselves (Though I do saw Akane arguing with Fuyuhiko over the merits of going in fresh…That girl is shameless and that boy is such a prude)

Of course by then, someone had to tempt faith!

"Everything will be alright!" Usami cheered with a girly laugh. "What a wonderful, hope-filled trip!"

I saw the clouds go black. I merely let out a long suffering sigh at the very sight of it. Somebody had to test Murphy's Law sooner or later.

"What's going on?" Hajime decided to ask, echoing everybody's thought process. "Why did the clouds suddenly turn black?"

"Things going to hell." I bluntly answered. The entire cast, swimsuit-clad or not, gave the clouds a wary look as Usami started to panic.

* * *

**Jabberwock Park**

* * *

"Pupupupu!" Came the familiar voice once again, a perfect imitation from the game. An aura of unease took over us all at the sound of it.

"Is that…Doraemon!" I finally decided to say.

I'm sorry, but the temptation was far too great.

I swear to god, everybody paused at that. I kid you not! My classmates turned to me in confusion, Usami scratched her ears, and the voice actually stopped laughing.

"Uh…No…(I swear to god, I know why I took this voice, but this is the first time I ever realized how silly it sounded)"

"Oh, no need to cleanse my childhood then. Carry on!"

"YOU ARE WAY TOO EASYGOING ABOUT THIS!" Kazuichi screeched.

"Actually, I use my easygoingness to mask the fact that I am completely and utterly terrified." I bluntly retorted.

"Really?"

"Who knows?"

"If you people are done talking…" the voice growled.

And out of the statue, came the mascot of the series itself, Monokuma in all his beary malevolence.

While Usami had the decency to at least keep her movements to a minimum, Monokuma moved erratically. It was very…unnerving. Knowing him (Her?) he probably does that on purpose, knowing full well on how it inherently bothers people.

"Greetings once and for all my little students!" The monochromed teddy-bear cheered in his cartoonishly high voice. "I…am…Monokuma!"

"People want to see suffering, hardship, misery…Despair!"

"Only in fiction." I called out as a retort. "Most people prefer their lives normal and boring!"

"This bear doesn't give a crap about your clearly wrong opinions." Was Monokuma's rebuttal.

"Don't worry! I'll stop him!"

"Hah! An opening!"

And son of a bitch! That feeling of darkness came again and made me mute and paralyzed. I can only stare in horror as the impending dread over the fact that I won't be living island mode.

And with that, Monokuma cracked the wand, and dash my hopes for relaxing in this forced vacation.

"Oh no!" Usami sobbed. "He broke my wand."

Monokuma hummed and added. "I'm not sure I like you're design...let's fix that!" And with that, he pounced onto the unsuspecting rabbit.

I swear to god, seeing a cartoonish dust cloud was much more surreal realistically then it was in an actual animation. How does that even work? And is that a pair of panties? Seriously, what the fu-!

"Hold still and let me push this rod into you!"

"No! I don't want to…don't touch me like that!"

"Anyone else feeling uncomfortable?" I deadpanned. I got more then a few raised hands as an assent.

The dust cloud disappeared and there she was, stripped down to diaper, colored pink on one side, and will forever be referred to as Monomi.

"I retcon you as Monomi! My little sister!"

"Oh no!" Monomi shrieked. "Now the page will refer to me as Monomi! And why do I have to become your younger sister of all people?"

"That's how things have to be!" And he accentuated his point with a punch.

"Does anybody have any idea on what the hell is going on?" Fuyuhiko angrily demanded.

"Buddy, we were clueless the moment we got transported by a robotic rabbit." I pointed out.

"Alright twerps!" Monokuma raised his voice, grabbing even more of our attentions. "I: Monokuma, have decreed the beginning of the Field Trip of Mutual Killing!" And he started ranting and raving over the boringness of people just being together and having fun.

"No one wants to play that game!"

"Actually, it does take up of fifteen percent of the local game market!"

"Yeah? Well the violence ones take on more then half the population!" Monokuma disagreed.

And he went on to explain exactly what we're going through (All the while making Monomi his personal chew toy) I could only stand back keeping a slight panicked expression.

The class trial, the crimes, the execution…all of it.

It was happening; it was honest to god, happening. Danganronpa was never a game I wanted to be a part of, and now actually experiencing it was not doing my psyche a favor as well as reminding me why I didn't want this.

"And what's to stop us from beating you up here and now?" Akane asked with her battle aura on.

And so Monokuma revealed the Monobeasts as a retort.

They were beautiful…in the whole 'I'm gonna kill you' sort of way. But seeing them up close, I could really appreciate the amount of effort and machinery that went into them…too bad their screentime was limited to minigames and being killed by Monomi!

Who speaking of, they themselves were currently killing.

"If I wasn't so terrified, I think those things were fucking awesome!" I declared as we reveled in the destruction caused by the monobeasts

"I can't disagree…" Kazuichi whimpered.

"Why childhood dreams?" Nekomaru noted.

"Truly we have been cursed." Gundam murmured.

"Can't go wrong with a few giant robots dream can we?" Teruteru asked.

Hajime, Byakuya, and Fuyuhiko looked like they wanted to retort, but couldn't bring it in themselves too.

Naturally, this aggravated some of the girls somewhat.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Mahiru shouted at the sight of us.

"Aw the difference between men and women Monomi." Monokuma sighed. "The love of giant robots is something that the no-y chromosomes can ever understand."

"But I don't mind…" She started as she regenerated herself.

"So you secretly have a-"

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!"

"Anyway…" Monokuma insisted and his eyes started glowing their menacing red. "As you can see, none of you can oppose me. So our little field trip has begun! To commemorate, I put on some new rules in your handbook."

And with an evil laugh, the twisted virus made his exit.

"Did we get trapped on this island by a twisted teddy-bear?" Kazuichi took it upon himself to ask.

"Technically yes." I answered. "But I think it's more accurate to say that we our under the control of some very powerful people…"

"What do you mean?" Hajime asked.

"He means…" Byakuya started. "Is that we're trapped on the island under the thumb of a powerful organization. And ignoring the bear and the beasts, we have to deal with our greatest enemy…"

"Who?"

"Ourselves…" and in the mimic of the screen from the game where we all looked at one another did Byakuya recite his speech.

"…We've been taken to a tropical island and put into a game where we're supposed to kill each other to escape." He intoned with only the slightest bit of fear. "It will create dread and despair, and our own wish to escape it…that's the number one danger on this god forsaken island."

As I looked around among our classmates who were in varying degrees of panic, all I let out was a long sigh. So this was it huh? What began was the Field Trip of Mutual Killing.

I vow to make sure that no one will die…but that's a promise I'm not sure I could properly keep.

As I glared at where Monokuma…no, the Junko AI once stood, I wonder exactly what happened the last two years…and what I did wrong during that time.

I remember…my mother and father and Shiro as well. Did…the feeling of darkness did this to me?

But that's irrelevant at the moment. What matters now is waiting until Monomi finish getting us to the second island. There I could input the password.

Sure it may ask a lot of questions from the others, but in all honesty, as long as we get out of this Despair-Free, I'm all for it.

* * *

**Omake**

* * *

And Usami grabbed Monokuma and pulled him into a dust cloud...huh? Wait is this...this is island mode!

Which means no mutual killing…

"Take this! Slap-slap-slap!"

Which means no despair…

"Hey! I'm trying-Ouch!"

"No interruption! Now here comes the coup de Grace! Usami Final Splash Spark!"

Which means complete and utter euphoria.

And the triumphant sight of Usami cowering over Monokuma appeared to the classmates as she kicked his body to the sky.

"Is everyone alright? Let our Heart-Throbbing Field Trip begin once more!"

"AHAAHAHAAAAA!" All turned in shock at the usual composed Luckster laughing like a lunatic.

"I think Nagito lost it…" Hajime noted as he saw Nagito spinning Usami around in a impromptu dance.

"Oh no he didn't." Chiaki stated with a small smile. "He's just very happy."

"Why would he be so happy? I mean I know our lives were spared and all but…"

The gamer merely gave a small glance and said. "Oh nothing you need to know about Hajime."

And before he could react, Chiaki took his arm and placed close to her chest. He blushed at the look in her eyes and said. "Let's just enjoy our despair-free island life…in every way possible!"

Hajime flushed, but shrugged, as he saw Nagito giving every single person here a tight hug.

"Oh thank you. Is this a custom of Japan?"

"Cease at once! Do you want to get poisoned?"

"Oh, is it Huggy time smile buddy? That's cool. Hey Byakuya!"

"Why thank you...but I wouldn't mind going much farther then a hug if you know what I mean..."

"Hawawa...I-i never been hugged this tight before!"

"Let go of me you fucking bastard!"

"...I consider this a form of payment for your cat..."

"Hey! A guy isn't supposed to be this...intimate...and why are you taking photos with my camera?"

"I rather get hugged by one of the girls...eh, beats getting mauled by a cat."

"Hey! Watch the boobs!"

"Yay! Spin me around more big bro! I might throw up on you!"

"Hmm...nice grip! With my help, you can improve more!"

"Don't touch me with your commoners hand!"

And it finished with Nagito spinning around in the center and yelling. "What a wonderful world we live in!"

"Although I think he might be a little kooky." Chiaki deadpanned.

All Hajime could do was sigh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this was somewhat of an adaptation of the first chapter. Which a good deal of the earlier parts will be.
> 
> Please read and review!

**Author's Note:**

> I picked Nagito because I thought it would be interesting. Hope you like it all and read and review. My insert usually doesn't curse often, but the situation is really taking a toll on his psyche.
> 
> Especially when it's Nagito whose body he took.
> 
> Sidenote: No he won't get diagnosed with dementia. He will get enough stress in his life as it will soon be.
> 
> This chapter is short; it primarily serves as a prologue of sorts. The future chapters will be harder to write, but I think I can do it.
> 
> Let's read as the SI tries to help save everyone on the island, as he can't prevent absolute despair. And watch him deal with the very luck that drove his predecessor to madness.
> 
> But he isn't alone. And he learns things are much more different then he expected.
> 
> PS: Shipping? Wait and see.


End file.
